An Ode to My Rock ‘n Roll Skirt: Remake/Remodel from Zachary’s Smile

I wore my skirt with my HessNatur tee to see Tori Amos at Radio City Music Hall a few weeks ago.

I got this amazing skirt at Zachary’s Smile (9 Greenwich Ave. at Christopher St) in NYC. This boutique has gotten lots of press, and carries a carefully edited selection of vintage pieces as well as several house lines created by the store’s owners, including Remake/Remodel, which takes advantage of used materials which are then transformed into something completely new.

My skirt above was made from old leather jackets (from the awesome bright green color I would guess from the 80′s). Seems from my inspection that there are at least two different jackets that were put together. The skirt is lined, comfy, and totally rock and roll. Leather is such a great material; long-lasting and durable. I would feel uncomfortable buying a new piece, not only because I’m a vegetarian, but because the tanning and dying process for leather (unless veggie tanned and heavy-metal free dyes) is extremely toxic.

Reusing vintage leather is a great way to get some of that edge in. And designing from older pieces means designers have to be a little creative (and they tend to be one-of-a-kind), a bonus for ecofashionistas.

Check out the Look Book on the Zachary’s Smile website; there you’ll see a number of new pieces made from combinations of conventional, ecofriendly and vintage materials.

leather, NYC, skirt, upcycled

Starre Vartan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick and author of The Eco-Chick Guide to Life (St. Martin's Press). A problogger and oft-quoted green living expert who has been featured in the NYTimes, Elle, Glamour and Whole Living, she is a contributor to The Huffington Post, Inhabitat, and Hearst's The Daily Green, and is currently editor-at-large for Coco Eco Magazine. An active ecofashionista, she has style edited for Plenty magazine and coordinated runway shows. She splits her time between Connecticut and NYC and calls Sydney, Australia her second home, even though it was her first (as that's where she was born and most of her family resides). When not writing, blogging, or researching her next book, she is trailrunning, trying to cook, or snowboarding.

3 Comments on “An Ode to My Rock ‘n Roll Skirt: Remake/Remodel from Zachary’s Smile”

Jenny
Really love this skirt, and am completely enamored with the idea of repurposing fabric to make new, cool clothing. I love creativity in all forms and this skirt rocks. Thanks for sharing! Wish I was in NYC and could pick up one for myself!
09/13/09 » 8:53 pm »
TheAL
Now that is a great skirt! The color is fantastic.
09/14/09 » 7:09 am »
minda
love your skirt so cute!!!!
05/03/10 » 4:17 pm »