Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

NaturevsFuture’s Autumn, 2010 Collection: Sustainable Modern Classics

NatureVsFuture from water&power on Vimeo.

Nina Valenti’s been designing eco fashion longer than most people have even known what the phrase meant. Her line, NaturevsFuture, debuted in Spring, 2002, and her iconic details have been staples of the eco fashon scene for years, landing her coverage in major fashion press. Her cutout dress is currently included in the FIT exhibit, “Eco Fashion: Going Green” through November, 2010.

What works about Nina’s pieces is that they are timeless and yet never look boring or old-fashioned. Her Autumn, 2010 line is filled with her characteristic angled plackets and hems and variable necklines, and utilizes hemp, organic cotton, flax, and surplus wool: Jackets and tunics, pictured here, are particularly strong standouts, but her skirts and blouses are always office-appropriate, and interesting to boot.

Natural hemp/organic cotton/ramie/flax textured coat w/ angled button front & High funnel collar

Nina hails from Brooklyn, and all her designs are made in NYC, reducing the carbon and energy footprints of her designs, and giving her step-by-step control over quality. I own three of her pieces; a pair of geometric-detailed long shorts, a hemp jacket in always au courant olive khaki and an organic linen dress that’s perfect for summer garden parties. All of these pieces have worn exceptionally well and seem to get better over time.

Charcoal hemp/organic cotton yarndyed angled zip up jacket

“The more we advance the more we need to consider nature before we deplete it. In this tension to find balance is the living energy of the collection and hence the name.” says Valenti, explaining how she came up with NaturevsFuture.

Chocolate surplus wool w/ silk lining double breasted swerve coat and 2 Tea hemp/organic cotton draped neck tunic top

Currently, NaturevsFuture’s online shop features summer’s designs, but Fall will be available very soon!

Charcoal organic cotton/organic wool button waist detail funnel collar tunic top

All photography by Yucel Eroogan.
Video by Rob Perri.

Eco Lingerie for Every Bella

It took me ages to heed my traditionalist-with-a-twist grandmother’s advice about undergarments.

“Starre,” she told me, “Whatever kind of work you do or whatever ridiculous outfits you wear, make sure that you have pretty underwear on.” Staring at me with her green eyes that had seen The Great Depression, World War 2, the end of two marriages, and the raising of two sons in a time when single mothers were scarce, she added, “Not for anybody else- for yourself.”

This advice was extended in the mid-90′s when I had taken to wearing men’s boxer shorts under some comically voluminous JNCO pants and the plainest bras and camisoles beneath reams of flannel, having decided this was way cooler than lace. But I always remembered what she said and now my drawers are filled with lingerie in pretty prints, with bows, ribbons and lined in silks and super-soft cottons.

Being the Eco Chick, I try to keep in mind how all my purchases (even the dainty ones) affect the environment, and this summer there are enough lingerie looks (and bra straps peeking through diaphanous fabrics) to justify getting some fresh eco-undies. These are my top picks:

Makool’s Pantalette set is just too adorable. You could hang out at home in this, or wear it out, but follow the advice on the Makool site: “This set hits you at your natural waist, so you won’t want to wear it with your low riders. I prefer to wear mine under my wrap dress, but any dress will work fine. You could also pair this with a high waist skirt, and allow the lace to peek out a bit.”

Greenknickers.org has all sorts of undies, from practical organic cotton and bamboo versions in three-packs to these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind Low Carbon Africa Knickers which are made from recycled fabrics with an organic cotton gusset.

The French (surprise, surprise!) company g=9.8 has the first underwire bra that’s made from recycled pine fibers, so you can be sustainably stacked!
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