Geez, there are just so many amazing new shops stocking eco-friendly fashions, handmade gifts and fair trade goods that I’m having trouble keeping up with them all!  It is nice though that this is starting to feel a little more like the norm than a passing trend.

Equita is a Pittsburgh based company with both a webshop and a brick & mortar boutique stocking the best in ethical fashion, organic body care and sustainable home decor.  They are one of only a few American companies currently carrying FIN, a Norwegian brand whose Fall/Winter collection features non-violent silk which is grown in the wild, and handpicked and handspun by artisans.  One of their pieces is this gorgeous zippered dress.  Equita also carries other well-known eco-labels such as Edun, Loomstate and Del Forte.

Camilla Boutique is another eco-friendly shop located in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood. Founded by Camilla Ares after she became disillusioned with the unsustainable practices plaguing much of the fashion industry, Camilla Boutique stocks green clothing and accessories, as well as goods for kids and the home. Camilla also offers an online store, so that that individuals who can’t make it to Brooklyn will still have a chance to buy beautiful eco-friendly clothes.

If you’re shopping for eco-conscious and socially responsible Hanukkah gifts this season, check out the Spertus Shop at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.  They’ve got some really great products, like these wooden crocodile-shaped menorahs, which are handmade and finished with non-toxic milk paint by special needs adults in Israel.

And for those of you up north, be sure to try goodEGG industries and their eclectic mix of gift ideas, all handmade by Canadian artists. This shop was founded in May 2008 by two Toronto-based craft bloggers: Laural of Thimble, and Jen of the Toronto Craft Alert, who I had the pleasure of meeting during Craft Congress 2007. Their shop has a curated selection of fabulous products, such as this awesome moose antler ring.

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the new Cinnabar collection at Trashy Diva -
Even though I don’t work at Trashy Diva anymore, I do still work only a few blocks from their French Quarter stores, and every time I pass the window lately I find myself drooling over the new dress styles, particularly the Kimono dress in the Cinnabar print.  So beautiful!

LOOKBOOK.nu & streetstyl.es -
I’ve become a little addicted to LOOKBOOK.nu during the last week or so.  I’ve always loved street fashion & personal style sites, and I remember a time when it was hard to find many good ones online.  Now there are too many for me to keep up with!  Which is why the people at streetstyl.es created that site as a place to pull images from some of the best street style sites on the web.

Neil Patrick Harris -
It’s really too bad he’s gay, because he’s my new boyfriend (he just doesn’t know it yet). I finally got around to watching Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog last night, after I’d been meaning to for months. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s really worth a gander. You can watch it for free on Hulu, and it will only take up about 45 minutes of your time. (It’s also broken into three 15 minute acts, if you don’t want to watch it all at once.) I don’t know what took me so long… it was so good!

the Moth podcast & the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminars podcast -
I just recently discovered the Moth podcast, and I’ve been a huge fan of the Stanford lectures for awhile, but I’ve started listening to them regularly again. Some thoughts from the most recent Stanford lecture by Tom Kelley of IDEO:

- treat life as an experiment. be willing to fail.
- be child-like. look at things with fresh eyes.
- take time to daydream.

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Tonic, a new online shopping destination that partners with non-profits working in the areas of the environment, education, poverty and social welfare, just launched a new line of tote bags featuring exclusive designs by British designer Luella Bartley.  Proceeds from each design benefit a different charitable organization, and the designs are available on cotton canvas tote bags, which fold and zip up for compact storage and portability.

I particularly like the stag design, which provides one soccer ball to school children in Kenya with each purchase.  Each soccer ball is made by Alive & Kicking UK to be durable and repairable so it can hold up in harsh climates, and each one carries a message about HIV/AIDS and malaria, which teachers can use to engage children about risks to their health.  Their goal is to sell 2,500 tees in order to provide 2,500 soccer balls to these kids.

I also really like the Education tee, which is part of Tonic’s “Every T Counts” initiative.  It features an exclusive design by American actor and designer Tara Subkoff, and is printed on a t-shirt made from 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton.  A purchase of this tee will provide safety, nutrition and education to kids who otherwise face a life on the street in India.

I really love what Tonic is doing.  On average they donate 40% of the revenue of each sale directly to the related cause, and they work hard to make sure their products are created in a sustainable, fair trade manner.  They try to use as much of their revenue for doing good as possible, so they don’t spend much on marketing.  So if you’re a fan of Tonic like I am, tell your friends and help spread the word!

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I’m really loving the work of Hayley Lau, the founder and designer of heidi and seek ethical clothing. Hayley creates one-of-a-kind women’s clothing using reclaimed materials - even the buttons and lace and most of the thread that she uses is second-hand.

Hayley is working to help raise awareness and provide an alternative to mass-produced, sweatshop made clothing through both her own clothing line and her fantastic blog. (I couldn’t stop reading it… she’s right on the same page as me with so many things.)

Hayley is based in Melbourne, Australia and her work is available at a number of different venues (listed on her website), each one carrying different one-of-a-kind pieces. U.S. shoppers should check out her Etsy shop, where I found this fabulous top.

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Nimli, an online shop carrying an absolutely huge selection of the biggest names in eco-fashion and design, is running an incredible giveaway on their site, starting today. 

Nimli specializes in clothing, accessories, home décor, beauty products and more from independent designers who blend environmentally conscious and socially responsible ethics with stunningly good design.

Today through November 23rd Nimli will be picking mulitple winners daily, and each day of the week prizes will be awarded from a different category. (Just check out all of the gorgeous eco-fashion that Mondays bring!)  All you have to do to enter is subscribe to their email newsletter here and wait for a call.  Current subscribers will be automatically entered to win.

I think I’ve found a new favorite online shopping destination.  I’ve been eyeing Del Forte denim for awhile, and it’s nice to see a good selection here!

Speaking of giveaways, don’t forget to enter the Shopflick Violet Valen Buddy t-shirt giveaway here on MissMalaprop.  All you have to do is leave a comment on the original post.  You’ve got until this Friday, November 14, 2008.

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I stumbled across this Alice in Wonderland corset on Etsy yesterday by accident and immediately fell in love.  The price is really reasonable for a custom made steel-boned corset at only $130, and it’s just gorgeous.

The designer, Inge, creates amazing costumes and steampunk inspired clothing.  She’s got some fabulous bustle skirts as well as other cool corsets.  Check out more of her work at NightBird Designs.

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Indie t-shirt designer Amy Snider of Every Little Counts wrote in to give me the top secret scoop on her post-election fall sale.  The sale prices go into effect today.

Amy designs romantic, sophisticated shirts for modern girls.  I absolutely love her work.  You can find out more about Amy and her designs in the interview I did with her back in August for the StyleList blog.

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Shopflick is this amazing new site for finding indie designers and eco-friendly fashion.  Imagine Etsy, YouTube, and Amazon all rolled up into one. If you’re like me, and you love learning more about designers and where they get their inspiration, Shopflick is the perfect shopping portal for you.  They’ve already got some of my favorite brands such as Envirosax, Poketo, Ric Rac Clothing, and The Battalion Eco Couture.

One designer I found on Shopflick who was new to me is Violet Valen.  This LA-based designer transforms basic boring hoodies into these amazing one-of-a-kind couture Buddy sweatshirts.  Every one is unique and handcrafted, but they all feature the cuddly teddy bear known as Buddy.  Violet got such great feedback on her sweatshirts that she was inspired to create an adorable Buddy t-shirt:

The awesome folks at Shopflick have offered up one of these cute tees to one lucky reader! All you have to do to enter to win a Violet Valen Buddy t-shirt (size medium) is leave a comment on this post before midnight on Friday, November 14, 2008 (Central Standard Time - go here to figure out what time that is where you are). The winner will be chosen at random from the comments and notified via e-mail.

Speaking of giveaways, there’s still time to enter for a shot at my copy of the new book, Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season.  Just leave a comment on the post I made about it here.  You’ve got until tomorrow, November 1, 2008.

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Jacqueline Myers-Cho got in touch recently to let me know about her new work and a book she has coming out soon.  I’ve been a big fan of her artwork for awhile now, and I’m still ridiculously sad I missed out on this amazing painting.

I had no idea that in addition to her gorgeous mixed media pieces she also makes really cool fabric creations as well, like ruffle scarves.  And not only that, Jacqueline has written a book with step-by-step instructions for cool DIY sewing projects.

It’s called STRANDS: Creating Unexpected Fabrics and Fashionable Projects, and it’s available for pre-order now.  Once the book comes out in December, Jacqueline will also be selling signed copies in her Etsy shop, Bob n Stitch.  This sounds so cool, I can’t wait to check it out!

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My friend Liz and I have been lusting over the eco-friendly handmade clothing at Gaia Conceptions lately.  It seems like every time she comes over we end up gushing about how much we love all of the clothes.

Everything at Gaia Conceptions is designed, sewn, and dyed by artist Andrea using certified organic and eco-friendly fabrics.  Andrea custom creates each piece based on the individual customer’s size and color choices.

It’s really impossible to choose a favorite piece, but at the top of my list are the French Instructor dress, the Forever Young long dress, and the Kangaroo Pouch hooded t-shirt.

Seriously, this dress in either Eggplant or Rain Cloud = top of my holiday wish list.

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I’ve been following the Things I Love Thursdays series that Gala Darling started for awhile now.  The lovely Ashe Mischief regularly participates as well, so I thought it would be fun to join in.

• Rose La Biche - I recently broke down and ordered the shirt I’ve been coveting for months and it arrived last Friday.  Unfortunately the small was a little too snug, so I’m exchanging it for a medium, but the designer Lucy has been so sweet and accommodating.  And other than the size, the shirt was everything I’d hoped for!  I can’t wait until the replacement comes in… It’s such a great, versatile shirt.  I’ve already got my eye on another Rose La Biche top.
• an awesome boyfriend - My guy has turned into super DIY dude lately… Somehow I got him hooked on Instructables and now he’s rebuilding my bicycle into what will surely be the most amazing octopus art bike ever.  He’s also taken to researching fancy seafood recipes and cooking me amazing dinners (all because he shot a commercial for a local chef last week and learned how apparently easy it is to make barbecue shrimp).  Oh yeah, and he’s organizing a pirates vs. ninjas flashmob for Halloween!
• BBC Radio 1 - Sometimes I listen to NPR when I’m at work but lately I just can’t take it, so it’s been nothing but BBC.  Annie Mac is my favorite but I also have a growing fondness for the request show.
• Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon - Seriously, I am so in love with this song right now.  Amazing.
• sweater hoodies - It’s still not cold here yet, but the office at work is freeeeezing, so I’ve enjoyed the beginning of fall and snuggling up in hooded sweaters.
• Tabatha Coffey - I never entirely understood the appeal of Shear Genius but I like her new show, Tabatha’s Salon Takeover because it reminds me of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (the original BBC version is sooo much better than the new shows on Fox).  I also really love Tabatha’s style and especially her hair.  I need a new haircut soon… I think I’m going to bring in a picture of her cut as an example.
• Inge boot by Fluevog - I’ve been coveting these for awhile now.  I actually started a savings account for them.  Yes, they’re $425 but they’re amazing and I know I’d love them forever.  There’s no way I’m putting all of that on credit though for a single shoe purchase, and I think by saving up for them it will insure that I really do love them as much as I think I do.  (And I really, really do love them!)

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The team from Embodies, an eco-friendly online boutique, recently contacted me to let me know about their shop. When I went to check out the site I immediately fell in love with these babies:

These gorgeous turquoise heels by Form & Fauna are handcrafted in Los Angeles from biodegradable synthetics and feature bamboo and regenerative wood heels.  They’re on the pricey side at $273, but considering how many shoes out there ring in at similar prices and are made in less than sustainable ways, I don’t think it’s quite as outrageous as it seems at first glance.

I think the style is really timeless (but yet playful and quirky), so I’d look at shoes like these as investment pieces.  Then again, that’s kind of how I view shoe shopping anyway, especially heels and boots.  I’d rather save up and spend the extra money on well-made, high quality shoes that I know I’ll love for a long time and that I know will last.  It’s easy to extend the life of well made shoes by replacing soles and heels.  Trendy, cheap, fast fashion creates so much waste and it’s soo bad for the budget too.  I think in the long run you save more money by investing in really high quality pieces that will last forever than trying to buy cheap stuff more often.  Quality, not quantity is my #1 rule in eco-friendly shopping.

You can find more high quality, eco-friendly designers like Lara Miller, Deborah Lindquist, and Linda Loudermilk at Embodies.

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