GREEN CHIC: the Week's Best Eco-Fabulous, Cruelty-Free Links

The best environmentally-aware, green, cruelty-free, and karma-correct fashion and beauty blog posts of the week - brought to you by Green Chic: an exclusive (invite-only) group of the hottest fashion and beauty blogs. Who knew it was so easy to be stylishly eco?

the ultimate in eco "fashion"...Agyness Deyn in her birthday suit [Refinery29 Pipeline]
Alex & Chloe campaign for human rights [Ethical Style]
trends in eco handbags [stylelist]
Leanne Marshall for Bluefly [FabSugar]
do your hair & the earth a favor with dry shampoo [College Fashion]
eco designers embrace full figures [Eco Salon]
a Libertas earth-friendly trunk show [fashion fille]
eco-fabulous bags from Chile [Quinta Trends]
Bond No.9 gets the green bug [RedPoppy Fashion]
10 reasons to swap your clothes [Posh Swaps]
hot shoes that happen to be vegan [Fashiontribes]
win an eco-chic chair from IQMatics [Factio Magazine]
eco designers on the rise [Runway to Retail]
an eco-fab giveaway featuring BeadforLife [Looking Sharp!]
Phillip Lim goes green [Fashion Pulse Daily]

Win to a $2500 Coach Shopping Spree!

Coach recently launched Poppy, a fun and flirty new bag and clothing line - along with a fun contest to find the quintessential Poppy Girl. Think that's you? Then create your own Poppy scrapbook page using Coach Poppy prints, hardware, and your own pix for a totally personalized, Poppy-perfect design. The Grand Prize Winner will get their scrapbook page transformed into animated wallpaper downloadable at Coach.com/Poppy and on Facebook, plus be treated to both a Poppy-themed weekend for two in NYC and the spending spree.  Poppy prizes will also be awarded to the Most Viral entry, the Runner-Up, the six Sign-Up Sweepstakes winners, and six Voter/Reviewer Sweepstakes winners. Enter by Wednesday, August 12th at Brickfish.com/Coach_PoppyGirl.

- Lesley Scott

Dress Like Sasha Fierce

While the costumes for Beyonce's current Sasha Fierce world tour, are, to say the least, over-the-top, the clothing line it recently inspired will be more subdued in order to let the flashy accessories, shoes and eyewear do most of the talking.  "Thierry Mugler designed the clothes for the tour, but we really wanted to celebrate the style and interpret that into a collection," notes Beyonce's mom, Tina Knowles about Sasha Fierce for Dereon which includes a one-shoulder dress, faux leather jacket with portrait collar, ripped jeans with mesh and lace detailing, and a black bodysuit.  Accessories feature chains which mix silver and gold, studded shoes, and glamour girl sunglasses. Available in early fall at Macy's and Dillards. (source)

- Lesley Scott

Madonna for Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2009-2010

Inspired by the surreal photographs of Man Ray, the lush colours and sumptuous draperies of the paintings of Tamara de Lempicka, and reminscent of Hollywood's Golden Age, the newest LV ad campaign images have a softer, more intimate quality than the previous one, also starring her Madgesty. "After the fun we had with the Spring/Summer campaign, and the amazing reaction to it, all of us – Madonna, Steven and myself – were eager to get back together for Fall/Winter," comments Vuitton's Creative Director, Marc Jacobs, about the new campaign which breaks in magazines worldwide in August 2009.  "While the two campaigns look very different, there is also a unity about them, so it now feels like we have completed both parts of the story."  In the seven visuals, Madonna models key pieces from Marc Jacobs' Fall/Winter ready-to-wear collection for Louis Vuitton - ruffled silks, extravagant accessories and sequinned Monogram bags, as well as the sweetly ironic bunny ears that were such a hit on the catwalk.

- Lesley Scott

Don't Buy, DIY! How to Craft a Hardware Embellished Cuff

Designers appear to have reached into their desk drawers for inspiration this spring, pulling out the New Wave accessory du jour: staples, pins, and zippers utilized in a variety of different ways: exposed, in contrast-color, haphazardly applied as trim, or twisted into 3D shapes.  Interestingly, the largest zipper manufacturer in the world, YKK, was one of the official sponsors of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC (even the lanyard for the press badge was a zipper). From the staples on Victor & Rolf's beautifully cut wool jackets to Sex Pistols-style safety pins and cheeky punk jewelry by Tom Binns - thanks to this hot 2009 trend, low is the new high, and the functional...fabulous. 

The hardware-heavy, craftsy felt-flower cuff by Marc Jacobs inspired us to staple, zip, and pin our own...here's how:

Totally Hot Shoes by Mink that Happen to be Vegan

Noticing a decided lack of anything remotely sexy in the way of vegan shoes, Rebecca Mink - a lifelong animal and earth activist - created her own: glamorous, towering luxury kicks made from sustainable, non-animal resources including rubber, wood, cork, and organic fabrics. When she first showed up in Italy almost 10 years ago, sketches in hand, 16 factories showed her the door, refusing to consider manufacturing such an unprecedented product.  Luckily Marco Gambassi, whose family has crafted shoes for generations, viewed her project as a creative challenge.  And thanks to Italian engineering, when Mink shoes were machine-tested for durability, they outlasted their conventional counterparts, proving that non-leather is a viable footwear option for green fashionistas.  These "Vulture" cork wedges with delicate double ankle straps (as seen here in Lucky April 2009) could possibly be the perfect summer heel.  Available by special order only - email info@minkshoes.com. Check out her entire line at MinkShoes.com.

- Lesley Scott

GREEN CHIC: the Best Eco-Fabulous & Cruelty-Free Links of the Week

Green Chic is a new weekly roundup of the best environmentally-aware, green, cruelty-free, and karmically-correct fashion and beauty blog posts...brought to you by an exclusive (invite-only) group of the hottest fashion and beauty blogs. Who knew it was so easy it is to be stylishly eco?

the best green fashion mags [Looking Sharp!]
yummy, paraben-free sugar and acai body scrub [FabSugar]
sandals that are cool, comfy & eco [The Fashionable Housewife]
recycle your unwanted gold this summer for shopping credits [Ethical Style]
hemp, soy, organic cotton & Chicago's first eco-boutique [Factio Magazine]
shop here for guaranteed eco-everything good time [fashion fille]
leggings as good for your legs as the environment [Fashion Pulse Daily]
bags, newspapers & even eggshells get a chic new life [Fashiontribes]
colorful, fabulous fashion made from vintage African kangas [Runway to Retail]
10 fashion tips that never go out of style [College Fashion]
choice vintage finds from Madewell & Brooklyn Flea [Refinery 29 Pipeline]
sexy summer hair sans karma [My Beauty Bunny]
plus-size fashionista Emme proves chic isn't just a 1-digit number [Stylelist]
gorgeous vintage alert: Issey Miyake [Zuburbia]

Kate Spade's New Summer-Perfect Accessories

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." And accessories like these are definitely tailor-made for the kinds of stylishly languorous days Henry James had in mind. 

But even if badminton, lawn sports, or lounging poolside aren't in your immediate future, at least your bag can daydream.  Available at KateSpade.com.

- Lesley Scott

Is it Fashion, Art, or Statement? Maria Francesca Pepe Lets You Decide.

Inspired by the great French artist Jean Dubuffet, Maria Francesca Pepe attempts to merge her signature massive, breastplate-like jewelry with clothing and accessories in her latest collection, Art Brut.  "These works created from solitude and from pure and authentic creative impulses - where the worries of competition, acclaim, and social promotion do not interfere - are, because of these very facts, more precious than the productions of professions," the great Dubuffet once exclaimed.  Known for his reverence of Art Brut, or "raw/outsider" art (he was an avid collector of works created by prisoners, mental patients, and children), so Pepe is exploring areas where decoration becomes functional, and the functional, decorative.  "For me, fashion is about analogies between different worlds, making something functional unfunctional, and vice versa," she recently explained to Elle magazine.  Translation: striking black and white print tube-like dresses; punkish tees; ruby red silk cropped jackets, organically-shaped jewelry crafted from black hematite, sterling silver and ruby zircon; vintage'y yet high tech bags; and those stunning oversize metal lock necklaces.  Purchasing info at MFPepe.com.

- Lesley Scott

Take a Walk on the Cerebral Side in Raphael Young's Shoes

Should you have been lucky enough to have an uncle Alexandre (Narcy) who spent his entire career designing shoes for Yves Saint Laurent, it wouldn't be surprising you'd ended up on a similar career path.  Dabbling in physics (pressure from the fam), plus a stint in the Navy and engineering - less so - but combined, they conspired to create the unusual shoe design aesthetic and philosophy of Raphael Young.  "I understand the importance of physics and mechanism, as well as art and sculpture," explains the Seoul-born designer.  "We all work with the same fundamentals when you break it down: equilibrium, volume, density, realistic materials, and lines of force."  His urban take belies his artisanal approach - every pair is handmade by Young himself, using traditional shoe-making techniques to craft couture kicks with a sexy, hard-rock edge.  Purchasing info at RaphaelYoung.com.

- Lesley Scott