Eco-holiday dresses @ Curator

Spectacular holiday parties are on the horizon, and it's hard to find a great dress that's fabulous and eco-friendly. But Curator, an eco-fashion clothing company located in San Francisco, takes care of the issue with producing lovely dresses with organic cotton.

Darling Dress in Crimson (organic cotton), $150, curatorsf.com.

Jasmine Dress in Eggplant (organic cotton), $130, curatorsf.com.

Penelope Dress in Black (organic cotton), $150, curatorsf.com.

Greenpeace's Detox campaign goes after Zara

To fight textile production waste pollution, Greenpeace launched the Detox campaign last year for the fashion industry to stop polluting the environment with hazardous chemicals. But one fashion giant has yet to make a commitment, and that's Zara.

Some companies like Nike, Puma, and H+M that occasionally produce eco-fashion merchandise pledged to find ways to get rid of waste responsibly rather than tossing it in waterways and destroying public health. Zara, the world's top fashion retailer, has not joined the campaign. After some testing, Greenpeace found traces of carcinogens mostly from dyes on Zara products. 

Zara, known for setting the trends, also uses sustainable fabrics like organic cotton.

H+M reigns as #1 global user of organic cotton

H+M was the biggest user of organic cotton in the world in 2011 and 2010, the Textile Exchange announced this week.

“We congratulate H&M for again leading the list of the biggest users of certified organic cotton in the world," said LaRhea Pepper, Managing Director of Textile Exchange, in a press release. "H+M’s ambitious program continues to drive demand for organic cotton and other more sustainable fibers...This strategic work serves as a model for adopting and expanding the use of greener materials in the fashion industry.”

By 2020, H+M wants to use only sustainable cotton. The clothing brand has used organic cotton since 2004.

Eco-fashion in oxblood

The fashion world has christened oxblood the color of the season.

Yes, the burgundy brown color earned an overly dramatic moniker, but there is a fierce campaign in place to promote it, and it's appearing in everything from leggings to handbags.

Oxblood has soaked into leather and other fabrics, but below are some eco-friendly options in following the trend.  

Medium Fur Collar in Oxblood (faux fur), $50, topshop.com.

Adamu Drape Dress in Burgundy (fair trade), $300, lemlem.com.

Legacy Leather Faux Leather Skinny Leggings in Oxblood (tencel), $176, nordstrom.com.

Big Buddha JCarlow Satchel Handbag in Burgundy (faux leather), $59.95, dsw.com.

Zoya Nail Polish in Anastasia (toxin-free), $8, zoya.com.

EMA awards 2012: fashion highlights

Last night, the Environmental Media Association celebrated this past year's achievements of raising awareness on environmental issues through TV and film.

On the green carpet, there were some fashion mishaps like bad fittings, bad patterns, and bad cleavage, but mainly everyone kept it simple in black and white or solid colors. Some of the honorable mentions are below.

If I attended an environmental awards event, I would wear a sparkly green dress. So Francesca Eastwood from E!'s Mrs. Eastwood & Company was undoubtedly the best dressed. And from my previous post, this is the dress of my dreams for this fall.

Model Francesca Eastwood (Image: yahoo.com).

Modern Family actress Julie Bowen (Image: justjared.com).

Pretty Little Liars actress Torrey DeVitto (Image: justjared.com).

Actress Jessica Alba (Image: popsugar.com).

Actress Malin Akerman (Image: popsugar.com).

An accessories shout-out goes to actress Amy Smart for her mirror clutch and striped stilettos. The clutch and shoes can give any outfit an extra dose of style.

Actress Amy Smart and TV personality Carter Oosterhouse (Image: popsugar.com).

Eco-version: the green sequin dress

Since seeing FOX's The Mindy Project earlier this week, I wanted the turquoise sequin dress she wore for a wedding scene for an October wedding I plan to attend. Though star Mindy Kaling said her choice of wardrobe is based on what repels guys, I still want it.

Then I found a similar dress at the eco-conscious H+M. It's polyester, but the funds go to a company supportive of eco-fashion. I will probably change my mind about having the dress for the wedding, but sequins never go out of style for me.

Green sequin dress, $69.95, hm.com.

Thrifty treasure #1: copper-sequined tank

As a part of my last weekend in Seattle, I decided to enjoy my University District neighborhood filled with vintage and consignment shops. One of my faves became the Buffalo Exchange, where I found a dark olive green tank top with copper sequins by Ann Taylor Loft. 

From first glance, it seemed like the perfect top for professional and unprofessional night-outs, the versatile pieces needed to be the career girl and the off-the-clock girl. Some of the sequins were lying in the opposite direction, but they're easy to smooth them down, so I dished out the $15 (originally a lot more) and supported recycled fashion.

Nail techs, salon owners reduce toxic dangers

Image: The Seattle Times.
Victoria Luu, co-owner of
Sènsé Nail Spa, uses a mask
to reduce her exposure to
potentially harmful chemicals.

Last week, I wrote an article about a county program in Washington state helping nail techs and salon owners to reduce the adverse health effects that can potentially come from the toxins found in nail polish, removers, glues, and other products.

Since the workers are consumed by the toxic exposure all day almost every day, they are susceptible to some health issues like difficulty breathing, eye irritation, skin rashes, and headaches.

It was an environmental justice issue since many Vietnamese women are in the nail salon industry. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have campaigns to educate workers in the nail care field.

Check out the story here.

Vintage shopping: the Seattle exploration

For the past few weeks, I've been adjusting to Seattle, my home for the summer. So finally found a place to stay, and it's in the University District, the trendy area for the students of the University of Washington. This weekend, I spent time exploring the neighborhood and found myself in the center of a vintage shopping haven.

Red Light Vintage Clothing is unique to the Seattle area with two locations. I enjoyed seeing clothes, shoes, and accessories that I would never thought would have been in season years ago, or perhaps decades ago. I couldn't believe I still wanted to wear a lot of that stuff because sometimes vintage shopping goes a little too deep into history where I wouldn't wear certain things. I was really feeling the shoes, but I knew I should wait for the perfect pair begging to come home with me.

So Goodwill is everywhere, especially here in Seattle where there are almost 20 locations throughout the city and the outskirts. But I noticed this location tried to fit into the block with having a vintage aura compared to its counterparts elsewhere. I bought three tops that probably look like my other stuff, but I couldn't help it since it was cheaper than the stores back home in California.

While walking up the street, I checked out the Buffalo Exchange, which is a chain of stores in several states, but I never heard of it. I was curious to see what they offered, and it was a mainstream vintage shop. That may sound insulting, but it's incredible because their inventory rocked. They even made their own jewelry. Interesting pieces, but the nickel metal makes my skin itch. I did find a J.Crew gray cardigan since I'm a sucker for those. It looks more fashionable than it sounds.

Goodwill hunting #12: leather sandals

Three-day weekend holidays mean money-saving shopping trips at Goodwill thrift stores. Because of my day off, I headed to my fave local stores and sought bargains reduced to ridiculously wonderful prices.

In a blue bin marked with the 50% price tag, I found a pair of Donald J Pliner leather sandals. What caught my eye was the leopard print, which is my timeless fashion staple, so I had to have them. I also noticed the authentic leather and label claiming they were manufactured in the mountains of Italy, and I fell for the romanticized location imprint.

I'm not obsessed with labels, but my sister convinced me to look online to measure the extent of my bargain. And it turned out the $2.50 I paid was worth it since a similar, plainer pair runs up almost 100 times that price.

Donald J Pliner Sandal in Black Vachetta, $215, donaldjpliner.com.

I also noticed my sister bought two great Jessica Simpson items: a pair of pumps and a wallet. The shoes probably ran around $100 at one point and the wallet $45, so it pays to support recycled fashion, especially after a thorough cleaning process.

Baking bits #1: gluten-free vegan vanilla cake

It's been awhile, but the baking bug bit me today as I decided to bake a gluten-free, dairy-free cake.

Though I usually nix the wheat and dairy because of my food allergies, I also wanted to get rid of the eggs. For the past few months, I've been trying to maintain a part-time vegan diet with eating animal products at one meal during the day. But as soon as night falls, I don't want any meat, eggs, or honey, and since I like to eat my cake with ice cream at dessert time, I had to find a substitute for eggs. 

After an exhaustive search for gluten-free vegan cake recipes, I noticed distilled vinegar or unsweetened applesauce taking the place of eggs. My vanilla cake still tasted great with the vinegar (no applesauce in the fridge) and almond milk (switched out soy milk for the week). 

GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN VANILLA CAKE RECIPE
4/3 cups of brown rice flour or gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of vinegar, unsweetened applesauce, or orange juice 
3/4 cup of almond milk, soy milk, or dairy-free milk
2/3 cup of raw sugar or stevia 
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 egg  
Pinch of salt  (I don't add salt to anything)

If I could take anything from this baking experience, I learned I'm in desperate need of a great gluten-free vegan cookbook since Google is not always a girl's best friend when it comes to specialty baking matters.

Green Gem Glam enters blogosphere

This eco-fashion/eco-beauty blog is under construction! With the new name, Green Gem Glam, it will be a more improved blog focusing on news and personal adventures surrounding the hardships of being green in the fashion and beauty world.

Once I purchase a new professional camera (my old digital camera died a slow death), I can share authentic photos of my eco-fashion/eco-beauty experience. Blog entries will still be fresh, but photos are coming very soon!

But till then, follow my blog with Bloglovin

Mary J. Blige likes eco-beauty products

While flipping through my June 2012 issue of Essence, I noticed this month's cover girl, songstress Mary J. Blige, recommended eco-beauty products, some I even used and know are relatively affordable. 

I use my Dr. Bronner's castile soap every day to wash my face. It's the natural acne and blemish cleanser. Carol's Daughter products have done wonders for my hair because it's all-natural and comes in so many varieties. If I want brightening white teeth, I use Tom's of Maine to get the look and feel of an eco-friendly toothpaste. And with summer upon us, every complexion should use SPF 30 products. 

Check out her beauty must-haves below:

Reality fashion competition crowns first winner

Tuesday night, NBC's Fashion Star crowned designer Kara Laricks as its first winner. Since the first episode when she designed the cloth necklace-tie accessory that I would've totally rocked, I knew she would win the $6 million collection contract between three department stores.

All season, select up-and-coming fashion designers created unique pieces following a theme set by the three buyers from H+M, Macy's, and Saks Fifth Avenue and the three fashion-forward celeb judges: Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and John Varvatos.

Below are some pieces from Kara's line for the eco-fashionable H+M:

Fashion Star Winning Collection Printed Dress Designed by Kara, $19.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Fashion Star Winning Collection Blouse Designed by Kara, $14.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Fashion Star Winning Collection Shorts Designed by Kara, $19.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Macy's, Nature Conservancy team up to save Amazon rainforest

INC International Concepts Beaded
Print Top, $89.50, macys.com.

Eco-fashion doesn't only encompass using eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics, it can also include regular fashion donating profits to an environmental cause.

Wednesday's episode of ABC's The View revealed the latest trends of the fashion lines associated with Macy's. The island-themed attire and fashion show surrounded Brazil with some of the profits being donated to the Nature Conservancy for "A Magical Journey: Brasil" campaign to save rainforests. The campaign runs from April 22-July 15, 2012.

The conservancy will receive 10% of the sale price of every item sold at O Mercado, a specialty boutique inside 300 Macy's stores nationwide with Brazilian-inspired fashion. Till the end of May, the "Give, Get and Save the Rainforest" at all 800 Macy's stores will encourage customers to give $3 to receive a savings pass for 15-20% off any item storewide. Macy's will donate 100% of those $3 to the conservancy. 

The campaign promotes designers like Isabela Capeto and Art da Terra, both specializing in eco-friendly handmade jewelry.


A list of upcoming promotional events (aka fashion shows) can be found here. Macy's hopes to reach a goal of $1 million to give to the conservancy to save the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

Vivienne Westwood designs 'War and Peace' shirt for climate refugees

Supermodel extraordinaire Naomi
Campbell wears the "War and Peace"
T-shirt, $40, viviennewestwood.co.uk.

Iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has lent her hand into environmental issues yet again by creating the 100% organic cotton "War and Peace" T-shirt for the Environmental Justice Foundation's "No Place Like Home" campaign. 

Funds will go to assisting the millions of environmental refugees forced from their homes every day due to environmental hardships caused by global climate change. Since this new phenomenon is sweeping the world, countries don't know how to react to the issue, so EJF is trying to spread the word through its campaign. 


From the archives: Vivienne Westwood reveals sustainable line

Pregnant women & hair dyes: eco-friendly products reduce risks

Kourtney Kardashian, Drew Barrymore & Snooki
wearing dyed hair while with child. Image: people.com.

When Kourtney Kardashian and Snooki were caught with dyed hair, the celeb media circle went into a frenzy. A miniscule issue, but they're pregnant. People even created a poll asking readers about the issue but failed to mention the eco-options women have now.


Since hair dyes unfortunately contain strong toxins like P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) and "methyl" chemicals, it is recommended people with certain health conditions like pregnancy should try to live without undyed hair.

But does a glam girl really have to sacrifice her beauty routine for health? The answer is no. Because of the rise in eco-beauty, there are plenty of eco-friendly, non-toxic hair dyes like EcoColors and Advanced Cosmetic Technologies. Popular natural dyes are making a bigger splash on the scene like henna and lemon juice. 

An issue is many major hair salons still don't use naturally based hair dyes, but an online directory can lead you to local green salons, which are sprouting like wildflowers across the country.

Check this earlier entry about a town with several eco-beauty hair salons opening within a year.

H+M's spring 2012 Conscious Collection heads to stores this week

On Thursday, select H+M stores will release its spring 2012 Conscious Collection line. The line is a part of the department store's initiative to deliver sustainable clothing to the masses with using eco-fabrics like blending recycled polyester and organic cotton with other mainstream fabrics. 

When the much-anticipated collection debuted in fall 2010, it had lackluster choices (in my opinion) with mostly the basic whites, blacks, and grays coloring basic designs. But it looks like this year the collection finally found its niche and decided to actually make eco-fashionable pieces that resembled the rest of the H+M inventory. 

This spring, H+M focuses on the island chic style with a splash of sophistication.

Dress in Powder Pink/Pattern (tencel), $14.95, hm.com.

Skirt in Coral Pink (recycled polyester, organic cotton), $14.95, hm.com.

Dress in Powder Pink (organic cotton), $29.95, hm.com.

One of the major hardships in the eco-fashion world is to make garments a girl would want to wear to formal events, but the collection has taken on this challenge head-on by creating beautiful dresses and gowns with recycled polyester and organic cotton amidst the splendor of the beads, sequins, and silk. 

Dress in Neon Yellow (recycled polyester), $79.95, hm.com.

Dress in Gray/Brown (recycled polyester), $199, hm.com.

Dress in Light Gray (organic cotton), $299, hm.com.

Fashion reality show promotes recycling clothes

Amidst all the new midseason replacement fashion reality shows like NBC's Fashion Star and Style Network's Confessions of a Fashionette, I found VH1's House of Consignment where a company buys designer duds from consumers and sells them for profit, also known as the thriftiness of recycling. 

Consignment shops can be a goldmine for unique vintage and designer clothes and accessories that can't be found anywhere else because the owners buy or accept donated items from  a variety of consumers. So a consignment shop transforms to a candy shop where the perfect items are confectionery sweet.  

House of Consignment centers around the Chicago-based luxury online shop, eDrop-Off, where they take this concept of only purchasing the finest, gently used designer garb and placing the newly discovered items online where they are auctioned off. Though eDrop-Off pays the original owners for their items before they go online, owners still get a cut of the check when the items sell. 

The eco-friendly process keeps clothes and accessories in the loop of recycling, especially with the major designer labels such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada using tons of leather, animal fur, and other not-so-eco-friendly materials. Even in the first episode, an owner sold a heavy fur cape to eDrop-Off where a consumer bought it online to use as a throw on her sofa.

Levi's, Water.org join forces in water shortage crisis

One billion people across the globe do not have access to clean drinking water. With the threat of climate change, water is becoming more scarce in these regions. Denim company Levi's built a partnership with Water.org to improve clothing production by using less water.

Levi's Water<Less multimedia campaign involves a variety of products including jeans, tries to get people motivated to do challenges, and shows videos of people living without clean water or working to get water back to these communities. 

According to the website, Levi's has made over 13 million Water<Less products and saved almost 45.5 million gallons of water.

One piece of advice Levi's is leaving for consumers is if they wash their Water<Less jeans once a week rather than twice a week, then we can all save over 226 million gallons of water.



Modern Bold Curve Ankle Skinny Jeans, $68, us.levi.com.

Pleated High Waist Shorts in Russet, $68, us.levi.com.

Modern Supreme Curve Straight Jeans in Early Dawn, $78, us.levi.com.