Oscars 2013: the eco-fashion highlights

Eco-fashionable celebs made a splash on the red carpet at the 2013 Oscars.

Veteran actress Helen Hunt, nominated for Best Supporting Actress in her role in The Sessions, surprised everyone when she announced on the red carpet she was wearing a sapphire gown from H+M for Global Green USA.

Image: people.com.

Skyfall Bond girl Naomie Harris wore a golden gown from the Red Carpet Green Challenge, a contest designed by Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of famed director James Cameron and eco-couture advocate.

Up-and-coming designers turn in the best award-worthy gowns made from sustainable materials to judges like Vivienne Westwood. This year, 20-year-old Ghanaian designer Michael Badger won the honor to have his gown debut at the Oscars. 

Image: people.com.

The sustainable gown is made from organic silk dyed with chamomile and goldenrod embroidered with vintage beads and recycled chocolate wrappers, according to Naomie's Twitter and Facebook.

Relive the eco-glamour of Oscars 2012.

Lauren Conrad teams up with Blue Avocado for XO(eco) line

In my March issue of Lucky magazine, I read cover girl and fashion designer Lauren Conrad of The Hills fame collaborated with the eco-conscious Blue Avocado to launch the XO(eco) line.

The line consists of lunch bags, overnight bags, and makeup bags with reusable items like cups and towels. Depending on the product, it could be made from a post-consumer recycled plastic bottle fabric called Repreve or organic cotton with eco-friendly dyes.

They all lack everyday product toxins like polyvinyl chloride (PVC), bisphenol-A (BPA), and lead. And 1% of profits goes to ocean research and conservation. It may sound small, but it'll add up.

Lunch Kit in Tuxedo Stripe (PVC, lead, BPA-free), $29.99, blueavocado.com.

Oversized travel bag in Tuxedo Stripe (recycled bottle fabric), $69.99, blueavocado.com.

Reusable Hand Towels in Umbrellas + Mini Dot (organic cotton), $9.99, blueavocado.com.

Oscars 2012: the eco-fashion/eco-beauty highlights

The 84th annual Academy Awards took place tonight, and some celebs decided to take the eco-fashion/eco-beauty route this year.

1. Actress Missi Pyle, who stars in the Best Motion Picture winner, The Artist, wore a pastel aqua gown made from peace silk where cruelty-free silkworms finish their life cycles before producing silk. Recycled zippers, recycled polyester, and natural mineral dyes also made an appearance in the gown, which was created by rising fashion designer and Green Carpet Challenge winner, Valentina Delfino.

Image: people.com.

2. One of the people behind GCC, Eco-Age creative director Livia Firth wore a cherry red Valentino gown made from silk and recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic deriving from plastic soft drink bottles.

Image: people.com. 

3. Three-time Oscar winner, Meryl Streep, who won Best Actress for her role in The Iron Lady, wore a glittery gold gown, the first Lanvin gown made from fabrics considered to be eco-friendly by GCC.

Image: people.com.

4. Actress Viola Davis, nominated for Best Actress in The Help, wore her natural hair minus the chemical relaxer or straightening treatment, both, when overdone, can be damaging to the hair. Davis also wore an eco-friendly pink Valentino gown at the BAFTA awards earlier this month.

Image: people.com.

Rise of eco-beauty salons in rural town

Image: redding.com. Hairstylist Stephanie Davis gives
Brianna Griffith of Palo Cedro low- and highlights
with ammonia-free, hypoallergenic hair color at
the "O" All Organic Salon & Spa in Palo Cedro, Calif.

This week, I freelanced a story for the Redding Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif., so I was glad to be able to produce an eco-beauty story on the rise of salons wanting to use more natural, organic products and trying to reduce their carbon footprints. 

They use soy-based waxes for waxing instead of petroleum-based waxes because it derives from a non-renewable resource. One recycles cut hair to oil spill cleanups. One only uses products from the United States. 

Check out the story here.

Eco-fashion turns heads @ NYFW

New York Fashion Week revealed the new looks for the Fall/Winter 2011 lines, and eco-fashion designers held their own ground during the weeklong festivities. 


Though we're practically in spring mode, it's reassuring to know thick knit cable sweaters and professional trench coats will have an updated dose of eco-friendliness with organic fabrics and recycled materials alongside the satisfaction that less waste was generated by the whole process. 

Check out the websites of the following designers where the Spring 2011 lines promise a stylish season ahead.

Square Project
Recycled polyester, organic cotton, and hemp are just a few of the eco-fabrics Tara St. James uses to create vintage-inspired pieces. Bold stripes may be a common trend, but with the addition of crisscross straps and pierced triangles make all the difference. 

Image: Ecouterre.

Bodkin
Design meets environment is a connection Bodkin wants to maintain for their consumers. Bodkin, named for any sharp object that can tear holes through clothes, produces sustainable clothing whether organic wool is available or not, the alternative is responsibly dyed wool that uses less chemicals during the process.  

Image: Ecouterre

Edun
Ethical fashion that promotes a local economy is always a positive thing. While making ecofashion, the proceeds go to communities in Tanzania, Tunisia, and Kenya where the clothes are made. The lookbook shows fashionable pieces from wrap jackets to chiffon tanks with an eco-flair. 

Image: Ecouterre.

Organic by John Patrick
One of the eco-fashion brands celebs like Leighton Meester wears for a day of work. The signature simplicity of white, black, and beige pieces made from organic cotton come in handy to complete any outfit. There's also foreign communities producing the clothes and benefiting from the profits: a plus in the eco-fashion world. 

Image: Ecouterre.

Get the eco-look: classic red dress

Halle Berry wears an Yves Saint
Laurent red gown at Carousel of
Hope Ball in Beverly Hills. Image:
people.com/Ann Porter/BroadImage

The classic red dress always make you stand out at evening events. 

Eco-fashionably speaking, we're used to hearing about organically made clothing just pertaining to T-shirts and jeans, but companies do make formal evening dresses from organic cotton, bamboo, and silk.

Many eco-formal dresses are about the same price of regular dresses from stores. But since these dresses can be rare to find, it's just one item easy to find at eco-friendly online stores. 

If online shopping's not your thing, you might find nice gowns and dresses at department stores like Nordstrom and Dillard's. And vintage shopping can heighten your chances of finding that one-of-a-kind eco-formal dress.
  

Jonano Asymmetrical Hem
Bandeau Dress in Chili Red, $65,
jonano.com

Sash Prom Dress, $72.81, peopletree.co.uk.

Stella Drape Dress, $64.81, peopletree.co.uk.

Organic Bamboo Cowl
Neck Dress in Red, $77.76,
turninglife.com.

Eco-spotlight: Aoki organic cotton jeans

Aoki jeans, aokijeans.com

The Aoki Denim collection, created by former model/boutique owner Starr Dailey-Webb in 2005, supports eco-fashion by producing raw organic cotton jeans. 

Aoki, which means 'green tree' in Japanese, jeans even come with a stamp of a tree logo on the pocket. 

The line has expanded to include skirts and T-shirts still made with organic cotton and natural dyes.

Check out aokijeans.com.