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.

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.

Eco-trend: colorful pants

Supermodel Bar Rafaeli walking the streets in
her fire engine red jeans (Image: people.com).

With so many celebrities using their style power to promote 'color blocking,' a simple pair of leggings, jeans, or a combination of both with jeggings are getting a hued makeover. 

Though it's winter, the blacks and grays don't have to dominate wardrobe choices. Add colors tastefully with these hip-hugging pants. 

Blues, reds, yellows, greens, and oranges have been splashed onto the average pair of pants to complement the wintry dark colors we tend to wear this season to match the weather.

And it gives you the chance to show off those trendy ankle boots in the process.

Primary Skinny Jeans in Blue (tencel), $58, nastygal.com.

Gabriella Rocha Kamilia Sexy Jean in Mustard (tencel), $55.99, zappos.com.

Flying Monkey Colored Skinny Jeans (tencel), $40, tobi.com.

Eco-dresses rocking bright colors

Spring weather has arrived, but the cute dress-wearing days have yet to come, so while we wait, here are some examples of eco-dresses bright enough to make those days come faster.  

Turk +Taylor Corsica Cinch Kaftan Rainbow Plaid Dress, $128, shop.moxsie.com.

Wimbledon Dress, $39.99, frenchconnection.com.

Seneca Rising Barnet Tank Dress, $150, farfetch.com.

Simple spring eco-dresses under $30

Recycled Fabric Dress, $19.95, hm.com.

Another money-saving shopping adventure! After heavy rain for the past few days, perhaps weeks, the sunshine broke through the clouds and brought spring. 

With recycled, organic, and biodegradable fabrics spun into eco-dresses, try some affordable finds this spring that are still fashionable and eco-friendly.

Stores like H+M and American Apparel that can be found in any major metropolitan area have trendy eco-dresses with a wonderful price tag attached.

Organic Fine Jersey Pillowcase Dress, $26, americanapparel.net.

Floral Print Draped Neck Dress, $24.80, forever21.com.

Faded Glory Women's Organic Cotton Maxi Dress, $14, walmart.com.

Eco prom dresses

As prom season sneaks up on us, many eco-consumers will soon realize there's not a wide selection of eco-friendly prom dresses. 

While eco-bridal wear gets all the attention, women looking for an evening gown with a gentle carbon footprint will learn the shopping venture is rough.

Three major fabrics dominate prom dresses: taffeta, organza, and chiffon.

Taffeta is a crisp, woven fabric made from silk and/or synthetic fabrics such as nylon. 

Organza is a sheer fabric, and like taffeta, originally made from silk and mostly now from synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon. 

Chiffon is a sheer fabric somewhat like organza and can consist of cotton, silk, and/or synthetic fabrics.  

Though silk is a popular soft, light fabric, it's not considered eco-friendly since it disrupts the life cycles of silkworms. Eco-silk is called peace or ahimsa silk since silkworms finish their life cycles before the silk is taken.

Synthetic fabrics are man-made, not natural and not easily biodegradable. Textile waste accounts for 10 billion pounds of waste every year, so clothes don't easily disappear from landfills. There's a widely used, man-made eco-fabric by the name of tencel or lyocell, which is produced to biodegrade.

An eco-fashion alternative for prom shopping is vintage. A vintage prom dress is a surefire way to make sure nobody has the same dress as you at the big event. Recycle and reuse are the two factors in true vintage wear.

There are virtual and actual vintage boutiques, consignment shops, and thrift stores that can supply an extensive variety of prom dresses. 

Double check for stains, rips, and other malfunctions before purchasing the dress. Of course, most of the time, the clothes are inspected for these mishaps before being displayed for sale. 

Online, vintage clothing websites usually tell customers the problems associated with the dress and if those problems are fixable.

Some helpful vintage prom dress websites: 

• vintageous.com
• etsy.com 
• shopgoodwill.com

Hi-Def Strapless Dress in Magenta (tencel), $41, lulus.com.

Rooftop Party Dress in True Black (tencel), $88, madewell.com.

Appliqued Violet Tulle 1950s Prom Dress (vintage), $275, vintageous.com.

Eco-trend: silver miniskirts

While perusing online shops for the hottest eco-fashion, I came across two sparkly or glossy silver miniskirts with flairs. 

Juicy Couture Metallic Print
Gauze Shirred Skirt, $69, zappos.com.

They must be in fashion, and they have the power to complement anything from a vintage T-shirt to a silky blouse. Mix and match accordingly. 

Iris Skirt, $49.60, anniegreenabelle.com.

Make it a colorful spring with eco-skirts

Welcome a forthcoming spring with a radiant skirt. Solid color skirts are appropriate for any occasion. Though white was proclaimed as the 'it' color for spring, match white tops and blouses with these eco-fashion choices.

Adele Skirt, $22, peopletree.co.uk.

Dorrie Skirt,$75, jcrew.com.

Crepe Pencil Skirt in Mint, $78, outnet.com.

Tie-front Shantung Skirt, $88.50, outnet.com.

Sustainable High Waist Skirt, $79, fashion-conscience.com.

Black & charcoal gray business skirts

A staple for the bottom half of many business outfits, the black or charcoal gray skirt can be very versatile.

Pair with a colorful blazer or silky blouse to emphasize the shape and flair of the individual skirt. Below are several examples of how the classic skirt can be eco-fashionable.

Poppy Skirt, $60, us.topshop.com.

Fair True Slouch Skirt, $63, fashion-conscience.com.

Chinti and Parker Cotton-Jersey Miniskirt, $65, outnet.com.

Bow-embellished Hemp Pencil Skirt, $236, outnet.com.