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

Gorgeous and Graphic Green T-Shirt Bonanza!

There are so many great things about t-shirts. You can wear them under a jacket (to leave any cheeky messaging to the imagination), over a long-sleeve for an always-beloved 90’s moment, you can wear them to bed, you can wear them on the red carpet. T-shirts are as American as blue jeans and just happen to look great with a pair of denims.

And like quite a bit of American clothing, tees are made from cotton, a crop that uses (literally) tons of pesticides and herbicides. The tees below don’t, because they’re either made with organic cotton or because they’re made of alternative materials (like recycled polyester).

OMunky is “creative eco-friendly apparel that is guaranteed to start the conversation” and there’s no doubt they showcase some cute and provocative designs (for both men and women). Look for new designs on a regular basis from this NY-based company.

Excentree makes limited-edition t-shirts, meaning “when you are wearing an Excentree top you will be one of fewer than 100 people in the world wearing it.” Made from organic cotton, a tree is also planted for each t-shirt (in a country of your choice), offsetting carbon now and in the future. Men’s and women’s shirts available (and you can win one here!)

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Behind the Scenes of the Project Green Search Model Competition Finals

Project Green Search, the first-ever green model competition, has a winner! Rachel Avalon hails from Los Angeles, California, and beat out over 130 other serious contenders for her new title as Green It Girl (read more about Rachel and her plans here). But before the winner was chosen, there were activities, photo shoots and some very good times.

The Ten Gorgeous (and Green to the Core!) Finalists Photo by Courtney Dailey.

Judging Project Green Search was lots of fun; I got a chance to go to most of the activities with the finalists and got to know them; what an impressive group of young women! From an Indy racecar driver to a natural nutritional counselor, to a college activist and an environmental educator, this was a talented and driven group of contenders. And as you can see, all of them were gorgeous too! The judging crew and I (see below) had our work cut out for us.

The judges! From left to right: Michael Zaliski, CEO of Omniquest Media, Anna Griffin, editor-in-chief of Coco Eco Magazine, Starre Vartan, author and publisher of Eco-Chick.com (I’m wearing an organic cotton dress by Doie), Remy Chevalier, Co-founder of Project Green Search, Deborah Lindquist, ecofashion designer, Josie Maran, former model and force behind Josie Maran Cosmetics, and Darren Moore, host of AlterEco and founder of Ecovations.

Day One: I got a chance to meet all the girls at a breakfast at our hotel, The Standard on Sunset Boulevard. Everyone was so excited to be there, and Taryn from EcoDivasTV started filming right away, and off we went!

Vanessa Meier even looks gorgeous in curlers! At Shades salon in LA. Image by Remy Chevalier for Lu Magazine.

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Online Resources for Ecofashion, Beauty and Green Goodness

Below find some of Eco Chick’s favorite blogs, resources, boutiques, and labels. We’ve written about most of these, so if you’d like to check out what we think about past or current collections, or what products we’ve reviewed from any of the following companies, put their name into our search box and check out what comes up!

Ecofashion Boutiques

The Greenloop (Portland, Oregon)
Kaight (NYC)
Kiwi (Brooklyn, NYC)
Nimli
BTC Elements
No Bias (Netherlands)
Pivot (Chicago)
Bird Textiles (Sydney, Australia)
Gorman (Sydney, Australia)
Eva Green (Melbourne, Australia)
Coco’s Shoppe
Envi (Boston)
Shift (Hyannis, Cape Cod (508) 775-2652)
Beklina
Jonano
Embodies (Larkspur, CA)
Juno & Jove

Ecofashion Labels

Stewart + Brown
Frei
Doie
EcoSkin
Emily Katz
John Patrick Organic
Bodkin
Feral Childe
Eairth
Armour Sans Anguish
Mr. Larkin
Alabama Chanin
Mociun
Lara Miller
Nixxi
Bibico (Fair Trade)
Ryann
The Battalion
Edun
NaturevsFuture

Bags, Luggage and Wallets

Ashley Watson (recycled leather)
Teich (vegan and non-vegan options)
Canopy Verde

Sustainable Shoes

Mink (vegan)
Cri de Coeur (vegan)
Cydwoq
Terra Plana
Olsenhaus (vegan)
Charmone
Beyond Skin (vegan)
Green Bees
Melissa Plastic Dreams (vegan)

Jewelry and Accessories

Polli
Kiersten Muenster
Monique Pean
Verde Rocks by Gwen Davis

Vintage & Upcycled Clothing

Hairy Mary’s
Handcut (Sydney, Australia)

Natural Beauty Online Stores

Beautorium
FutureNatural
Kaia House
Spirit Beauty Lounge

Natural Beauty Brands

Josie Maran Cosmetics (makeup and facial care)
Pangea Organics
John Masters (facial and hair care)
Nvey Eco (makeup)
Alima (makeup)
Jo Wood Organics (fragrance and skin products)
Rare Elements (hair care)
Saaf Pure Skin Care (skin products)

Miessence

Sexuality and Women’s Health

Pleasure Galaxie
Lunapads & Diva Cup
Babeland (some vegan condoms, organic lubes, etc.)

Great Green Girlfriends

Summer Rayne Oakes
Olivia Zaleski
May Lindstrom
Jill Danyelle

Green Fashion and Beauty Blogs

Ecouterre
Ecofabulous
Ecostiletto
Fig + Sage
Girlie Girl Army
Ecosalon
Ecofashion World

Health and Wellness Sites

Skinny Bitch

Our Favorite Green Blogs

The Daily Green
Huffington Post Green
Inhabitat
Mother Nature Network
Wedvert

Fave Non-Green (but Still Awesome!) Fashion Blogs

Cherry Blossom Girl
The Sartorialist
Fashion for Writers

Pacifica Perfume: Sustainable, Socially Responsible Scents to Savor

Avid surfer Brook Havey-Taylor founded Pacifica in 1996 to put her training in aromatherapy to work and share the scents from her travels. Now, the company boasts a line of over twenty fragrances that can be found in candle form, perfume solid, body creams, soaps and sprays. Pacifica is based in Portland, Oregon and practices carbon neutrality and cruelty-free production. The products are vegan and do not contain any animal ingredients, including beeswax.

I had the opportunity to speak with Brook and discuss natural fragrances. I have long enjoyed scents and as far as senses go, smell is one of my most adored, but these days I am hesitant to use any scents or oils that are not necessarily safe. What does it really mean to be safe or natural? Is there such a thing as truly organic perfume? How are natural ingredients such as patchouli and sandalwood being affected by the vast cosmetics and beauty industry? Brook thinks about these things and was happy to share some thoughts.

KJA: How natural is Pacifica and what does this mean to you?

BH-T: For Pacifica, I never claim that we are 100% natural. I use as many natural materials as I possibly can. My goal is always to create a safe and sustainable product, an ethical product, and an affordable product. At our company we provide a 401k and viable health and dental insurance plans to insure our workers are treated well. Our factory in Oregon is virtually waste free. Everything is recycled into candle production or donated to local women’s shelters. We use local box manufacturers for packaging the products and local printers which is quite rare. The only component of our products that is made overseas are the tins for our perfumes and some of our glass, though we are trying to find local suppliers. We are really focused on keeping the business viable and local. As a company we try to look at everything we do as whole.

KJA: So, are your ingredients organic?

BH-T: When it comes to the issue of natural or organic fragrance you have to be really careful in your language. Even essential oils contain synthetics at times. There are arguments against 100% natural – you are using water, land, affecting cash crops – and social issues come into play hugely. It’s coming more to the fore now, especially with palm and sandalwood (clk here for more info on this topic.) Our western craving for all things natural can be extreme.

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Eco-Chic Decor from Bacchus-Inspired Aesthetics

Guest post by Shireen Quodosi

What comes more easily in this economy than an assortment of empty wine bottles after you’ve just thrown a smashing get-together? With the preference being on sourcing cheap entertaining ideas, most people now see staying at home with a good meal and great wine as a viable alternative to spending money on restaurants and clubs.

Wine Bottle Ideas:

There are a number of ways to reuse wine bottles. Among the more common ideas are reusing them as water pitchers, votive vases, torches, and flower bed liners. However, there are dozens of other smart options that are rarely explored.

Rewined Recycled Glassware – Get uniquely hued wine bottle glassware made from orphaned bottles left behind at local restaurants and bars.

Water Feeders – On a very hot day or when you’re away, fill the bottles of water and stick them into the pot or soil near your plant. The water will slowly percolate from the bottle and into the soil.

Wine Bottle Chandeliers – In addition to the popular row lighting and pendant lighting, Pottery Barn put together an interesting chandelier with wine bottles strung around it. Even though four dozen other people will likely have the same statement piece, at least you know it’s a unique sustainable element in your home. Plus it catches the light beautifully during the day and especially at sunset.

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