Greenshows at NYFW: Study NY’s Classic Knits Gone Edgy (and Convertible)

Study NY’s F/W collections (see last year’s here) always make me look forward to the colder seasons (even if we are still in the midst of one!). Sewn from sustainable fabrics that are uncompromising in their green roots, and made NYC, this year’s showing at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Greenshows at Lincoln Center was – as usual – totally covetable (and even more so by the fact that her designs are so classic they can be worn for years to come).

For St. James, it’s all about the understated details that make you want to keep wearing something over and over again; take the skirt above, a closer look reveals a brush of color at the hem (see detail shots below). Wearability is important to the designer, which is why she always makes her pieces look not only comfortable, but in some cases, convertible too.

“Everything can be personalized and is meant to be worn your own way. I think that’s an important part of sustainability. Fast fashion is so recognizable on the street, and you don’t want to be wearing what everyone else is. Even if you’re wearing the same piece it can look very different,” St. James told Ecosalon.

One of my favorite parts of St. James’ designs is that they are dynamic from every angle.

Detail of the beautiful knit work on this sweater.

This unfinished, mustard-dyed hem gives a long skirt a sense of presence and grounding.

collection, eco fashion, F/W 2012, fair fashion, Fashion, greenshows, knits, mercedes benz fashion week, New York City, NYFW, study NY, sustainable, tara st. james

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.