Designer of the Month
stewart+brown
Store of the Month
Avenue A Flea Market
Person of the Month
Lisa Eisner
eBay Pick of the Week
They are gone, but you can see what you missed, like the 85 year old Abercrombie suit.
1, 2, & 3
Animal Planet
Russian Alena Akhmadullina's quirky folk based designs steal my heart.
Dreaming of a White Christmas
A selection of white items from ebay and links to other sites for green gift giving.
Haute Ecouture
Barney's goes green, kind of.

Everyone has one. Their height of fashion. A time in their lives when they felt like they could really knock your eyes out, they were so “on”. Maybe it was the perfect accessory or right shade of blue or maybe it was the genius foresight to combine stripes with plaids. Their neck got longer, their back got straighter and their hair got better. They were “lookin’ good and feelin’ good” and nothing and no one could stand in their way because they looked so darned incredible. Editors Lisa Eisner and Roman Alonso invited a cross section of the famous, not-so-famous and not-famous-at-all to provide a photo that captured that moment of self-defined height of fashion. Results range from the hilarious to the sublime, from the ultra chic to the un-cool, but always intimate and original.

Untouched World uses organic fabrics for its collection of stylish separates designed to go from yoga class to lunch and back. Sheep being one of the country's major natural resources, the brand has developed Mountainsilk, a lightweight merino wool fabric that's machine washable. Merinomink, meanwhile, is an insulating blend of wool and possum fur. (via style.com)

The perfect place to shop before embarking on your natural culture adventure with Potiki Adventures.

Potiki Adventures plans day trips to the North Island's west coast that are lessons in Maori culture. Learn about the traditional plant medicine rongoa at Karekare black-sand beach, where champion surfers ride the waves. And bring home a piece of pounamu by Maori carver Te Kaha; he whittles the rare green stone known for its healing properties into pendants and rings that are the ultimate memory of your trip Down Under. (via style.com)

Lisa Salzer designs her Lulu Frost jewelry with a strong emphasis on the past. She incorporates (or recycles) found objects and vintage jewels and chains into her unique pieces. She is probably best known for her popular line of necklaces that use the bronze room numbers from the original Plaza Hotel.

I am so cold that I decided to put my Salvation Army granny sweater (reused) over my Vince cashmere zip up (new). Not a lot of style here tonight folks...

...while still being green! Here are some Winter White picks from ebay, the reuser's favorite hunting grounds. So we don't forget the men, we'll start with them first. For more green gift ideas you can visit the following sites: coopamerica, uncommon goods, treehugger , hip & zen, the green loop, vivavi, and organic style.

Chinatown arrival. Reused Content: leather motorcycle jacket, black scarf, Ferragamo boots.

Currently only $9.99 this cute top is ending 10 hours. See it here.

Elise and Angela show me their reused content: boots, belt, turtleneck and scarf.


My reused content: popcorn knit sweater, jersey peasant top and new content: theory pants, boots bought in Barcelona from a favorite designer, Chie Mihara.

Brrrr. The balmy weather seems to have blown away. Time for a fur chubby to fight the morning chill. I look like I am holding someone up with guns in my pockets. But, people, you work with the image you have. It's the best I can do before noon and a cup of coffee. Maybe I should start wearing animal masks, like Alena's models I showed in the Animal Planet post a couple of days ago.

ReUsed Content: butter soft boots, fur chubby - I think this is mouton??, wood beads

Went to GAS.




lots of people. waiting.








aaaah! start this crazy art show. my tongue is turning green. must have been the Clorets.


the Chinatown Beard Boys were there.

They took pictures of us and we took pictures of the tattoo. They assured me they were pretty much all REUSED CONTENT. I was 50% in my YSL polka dots, white blouse and black boots.


I was mildly disturbed by the images of a naked woman in bondage hanging upside down that I had seen earlier in the back room, so I wasn't sure what to expect from DRIFT...

...but I loved it. Very mesmerizing and the images hit on many of my favorite subjects (very organic, trees, water, nature) and a series of light bulb images from marquees that were great. Too bad I don't know how to work my new camera yet, these pictures would look so much better without the flash! And...

...despite the lack of a theremin or complementary hallucinogenics, they did one better by having a bagpipe player in the closet. Way to go guys, great piece.

reused content: another snazzy dress from Goldworm, Ferragamo boots, scarf, full slip (underneath - obviously), suede bag and suede jacket (on seat).

Tonight my friend Nancy and I went to see Daniela (a.k.a. Raquel Marti) perform boleros with Sofia and Kahil at Esperanto.


I spotted this cool bracelet on Nancy. I asked her if she bought it new. She told me it was old and that it had the smell of it's old owner. I don't know if she meant it's previous owner, but I was picturing some older tribal gentleman in Mali and wondering what he smelled like. Hmmm?

reused content: Oscar de la Renta blouse, jean w/gold thread skirt, Maud Frizon boots, cocktail ring

To my dearly limited readership, thank you. It has been a week and I am already tired of myself, so I can't imagine how you feel. So, as you might have seen, I am attempting to spice things up a bit with some different features. For those of you just tuning in...

The Project: the blog revolves around my project to wear clothing based on the reuse-reduce-recycle mantra of the green movement without sacrificing style. The goal is to average 50% reused (essentially not purchased as new) or recycled (a piece made from something else) and also discuss reduction. As you know, reducing consumption is not what people who love fashion want to talk about, but perhaps we can twist it around and look at it in a positive light. For example, what are the Energizer Bunnies in your closet? The items you've had for years and, hence, have not needed to replace with new purchases, the classic investments. Or it can be thought of as reducing pollution by embracing apparel companies that use green production practices and materials and give back to the environment, such as patagonia.

Features:

ebay item of the week: when I first moved to New York, I soon realized it isn't like other places for many reasons, one of which is, Goodwill and the Salvation Army do not come and pick up the old furniture you want to donate. Because most people don't have cars, most of the stuff ends up on the sidewalk. It was like a random swap meet, you'd put your stuff out one week and the next week carry home someone else's. Now, thank goodness, we have craigslist and ebay. This feature comes with a warning to those slightly addicted to shopping. Ebay is a powerful thing my friends, use with caution.

store of the month: some of these will be online and others will be here in NYC or somewhere in my travels.

person of the month: people from the intersection of sustainability and style will be featured monthly.

wild cards: from time to time I might be in bed with the flu or spend the whole day in my pajamas or just not have a photo of myself. During these times I will play a wild card, a picture of an outfit worn in the past.

and the rest will be snippets here and there and things developed on the fly. Suggestions are always welcome.

Someone I met earlier this week at GreenDrinks told me about a new museum he was helping his friend launch. The New York Museum of Water will raise "awareness of water and the need to love and protect it." This topic is near to my heart, so I offered to help in future events. As a photographer obsessed with water in the past and also hoping to put my images to good use in the future, I see many possibilities for art to play a role in conveying the museum's message. To read more about water issues click here.

He also told me about his friend who will be spending 1,000 days at sea in his sailboat..... 1,000 days without sight of land that is!!! I wish him well and look forward to sailing vicariously through him.



After shirring and draping all day here I am with the girls.... hmmm, looks like I need to watch more America's Next Top Model for some posing pointers.

reused: white/silver Christian Dior blouse, San Francisco Pantworks jean vest, gray Ferragamo boots, tweed/fur jacket, suede bag.

new: Zara jeans.

After spending TEN hours cutting and sewing a sleeve, I thought I needed to get out of the apartment....and out of my pjs! So, I went to a little event at my friend Simone's The Changing Room. Here I am in the backroom...

Reused: Woodstock t-shirt, besides being a fan of Snoopy, I liked this shirt because I grew up in Woodstock, Yves St. Laurent red silk shirt, Scandinavian cardigan sweater.

New: Poleci jeans, Puma sneakers.

It was a beautiful, breezy, crisp FALL morning. I went for a run this morning to kickstart some motivation and big golden leaves covered the sidewalks. I couldn't find my small headphones, so I had to wear my big honkin' Sennheisers that I bought for work. I looked like one of those models in Jay's final fashion show on Project Runway. They actually worked a bit like earmuffs as an added bonus to the great sound quality, but I did get a few odd looks. I was too happy in my head to care.

Thanks to the man at the bus stop who snapped today's pictures.



Reused: red raincoat, rug bag (again), gray Ferragamo boots
New: scarf, but I purchased it new about 15 years ago, it has holes in it, but wrap it around your neck a few times and they disappear.

I love the back detail.



Reused: t-shirt, sweater, love the popcorn knit detail
New: skirt from System Action in Barcelona
Gifts: the crystal was given to me by a stranger at a Grateful Dead concert outside of Chicago way back when. I think my friends left me there that night and I was freezing. I bought a beach towel from the local gas station that was quite ugly, but warm. That was life without cellphones....they eventually came back for me, thank goodness. The other necklace is a special gift from the past. It is a little silver pot with a top that opens and little jewels.

I finally hooked up the new camera and clearly this is no vanity project as I am looking pretty scary in the photo. Just home from my evening class, I only had time to change and go back out to celebrate Natalie's birthday with some dancing at The Speakeasy Lounge, Natalie and her sister are in the photo here.

Recycled content: the skirt I made from an old cotton sheet for a class project, it was a very poufy experiment, but after weeks of sewing up half garments in muslin I really needed to make something whole that I could actually wear.

Reused: the boots (which you cannot see in the photo, but are shown below), a jean jacket, and the ever popular "braided rug" bag.

Bought New: the top.

And it looks like I didn't shower, so I probably saved some water too!!



Here are my rain soaked boots, 100% reused. These Italian babies were found on ebay for about $10. I got the idea to make a dress from fabric from blown out umbrellas. So, while walking home from FIT one blustery Saturday I found tons!! By Union Square I was becoming picky about which umbrellas to use... and also feeling like quite the bag lady lugging around shopping bags stuffed with the fabric and pulling umbrellas out of trash cans on the corner. I just wanted to stop into a warm cafe for some hot chocolate. I found a quaint little French spot close to home, but managed to knock over the metal fencing surrounding the outdoor seating with one of my overstuffed bags and everyone stopped and stared. So, I just moped home in the rain. And you can see my booty drying in the bathroom.


better days to come...

My friend Roberto called and invited me to dinner so he could give me all the umbrella fabric he and his girlfriend collected for me. Thanks guys!!


Here I am after dinner on a very green mode of transportation, but the bike isn't actually mine, I walked.

Reused content: Christian Dior white/silver shirt with rhinestone buttons, Chanel-esque tweed (from a suit I scored for $15!), bronze leather bag, and the amazing Maud Frizon gold western-ish boots.

Bought New: jeans.







With my new friend after an evening of flat pattern making.

Reused content: wooden necklaces, 70's style Gap jeans bought off ebay for $4, vintage Ferragamo boots and the Starsky sweater I searched high and low for for two years (It reminds me of this beautiful hippie girl who lived on my block growing up in Woodstock.)

Bought new content: white embroidered blouse bought in Oaxaca, Mexico



This woman took the picture of me below. I saw her pulling this phone out of the garbage, she said she was bringing it to a store to sell to help raise money for the homeless. I didn't get the fine details, but sounded like recycling to me.


Reused: Levi's corduroys, vintage Ferragamo boots, gray leather jaket, tan silk scarf (which is a belt from a vintage Adele Simpson dress I have)

Bought New: black cashmere v-neck sweater from Vince. This sweater was an investment in a classic that I will likely wear for years to come, the type of items I look for when buying new.




After GreenDrinks last night I walked home because the weather has been so lovely. I came across friends sitting at the window table at Falai, the great restaurant on Clinton St. After stopping in for a chat I was luckily lavished with the desserts the kitchen had sent over that they were too stuffed to touch. YUM!! When we got up to leave both girls pulled on great looking "reused" vintage coats, so I had to snap a pic while they dashed into a cab.

Well, those of you who know me know that I get cold easily. It is always challenging to remain warm and stylish (and eco friendly). It is still too warm for me to bust out my Tuscan Lamb fur hat, but not too early for you to start thinking about one of your own. I know, I know....fur. That is not too eco friendly you're thinkin'. But when purchased from my favorite store ebay it is reused fur, one of the three golden (or green) Rs, so I am okay with that. Of course you must decide for yourself, but with the boots from yesterday's post and my fur hat, which went over well everywhere I wore it (comparisons were made to dandelions, baked alaska and afros), I was toasty on the bitterest of days. This year I am thinking this dark brown one might do the trick.

A blog is born....please be patient with my mistakes as I am a blog neophyte!!!

Okay, the idea is to post my personal clothing options with STYLE for my mission to be 50% reused and recycled throughout the year. However, because I haven't hooked up my new camera to my new laptop yet, these images will have to do. While they aren't my boots specifically, I suppose they are still fair game because I actually own a pair of these boots.

Although I am essentially opposed to UGG boots, especially when worn with mini skirts during warm weather, I will concede they have a use when the mercury begins to plummet. Not one to easily give into trends or part with $200, I found these boots a more affordable and stylish option to keep my feet toasty all last winter. I really wanted a pair of Balenciaga motorcycle wedge boots, but could not afford them on my slacker income, so these were a decent compromise.....and reused.

So, my lovelies having size 7 - 7 1/2 feet and paypal accounts, run to ebay now. One pair is a 7 and ending in 7 hours currently at $19.99 and the other pair is 7 1/2, ends in 6 days and asks a starting bid or Buy It Now price of $125 (!!!). I know you can do the math here.

Well, I must run now because I have to get to work on my recycled umbrella dress (hopefully, I'll finish it in time for tomorrow night's greendrinks event!) and all this new blogging has cost me to miss bidding on auctions for my new fall staples. Black has been declared the new black.... however ridiculous that sounds, I do love vintage jet and all things flapper, like the beads below that just slipped through my fingers.