Artful Eco/Exo Skeletons

Christian LaCroix 'ribcage necklace', photo by Marcio Madeira via Style.com

Luggage to die for, SBL by Alexander McQueen (not eco-friendly)

X-acto carved pumpkins & gourds via Martha Stewart

Fearless Dreaming

(above photos by Becky Coppelia Yee)

It might seem a bit redundant to pair being fearless with being an eco fashion designer these days. Challenging times certainly require innovative thinking and bold ideas regarding sustainability and eco styling. This is why I love dear art + fashion friend, Meiling Chen and her incredibly resourceful and sculpturally draped pieces. Fueled by a Taiwanese family tradition of smart tailoring and impeccable construction details, Meiling's designs are a free-spirited and adventurous take on hand-dyed organic fabrics coupled with waste-free eco chic couture. This bright rising star will be showing pieces from her latest collection at this evening's Eco Chic HK fashion show at the W Hotel Hong Kong. Stay tuned for more coverage on this event in Eco Fashion World's news column.

(above photo by Quinn Batson)

Mociun's Art Girl Eco Fashion

Mociun (pronounced mo-shen) seems like the ultimate art girl, eco fashion collection. Created by world traveler and Bauhaus inspired designer, Caitlin Mociun, the Fall 2008 pieces are bohemian and sustainably savvy while also allowing for art studio to art opening glamor. Check out the special two day sale going on right now at Beklina if you want to stock up on select 'Mociun graphics'.

Claudy Jongstra

I have been following the amazing fiber installation and organic architectural treatments of Dutch textile designer, Claudy Jongstra, for some time now. Her giumpe forms originally caught my eye in her 2005 exhibit at Moss. The raw quality of her woolen pieces appeals most to me. Part sculpture, part energy-efficient in terms of process. A more primal take on eco-luxury and indigenous design.

La Dolce Vita

There is something about this Spring 2008 Vogue Italia cover that exudes eco fashion without having to be preachy. This is how I would have liked to have been spotted at the Sheep and Wool Festival this past weekend.

La dolce vita alla campagna.

Big Sur Meets Helsinki

Designer Lina Rennell has created an earthy mix of 100% organic hemp pillows as well as hand printed frocks and super cool moccasins as part of her "Big Sur Meets Helsinki" collection for Spring 2009. If I had a veggie-fueled bus, I would definitely deck it out with these eco chic finds and tour Highway 1 in style. Visit Beklina for more information on Rennell's graphically bold and beautiful Punk Pillows. All made by hand in California.


(all photos courtesy of Lina Rennell website)

Atomic Garden

For a refreshing blast of fresh eco fashion goodness, check out Atomic Garden in Oakland, California. A great tip by eco-luxe hemp accessory designer, Heather Heron.

Melissa Cloghs

These non-leather, eco-friendly 'cloghs' by Melissa shoes seem ideal for slushy winter expeditions to come. Available at Atomic Garden (above).

Falling (Again) for Risto Bimbiloski

The fashion world is finally waking up to the brilliance of designer Risto Bimbiloski, as mentioned in today's NY Times The Moment Now Blooming | A Green Fashion Trade Show post. For those of us who have been following and writing about Risto for awhile now, it is sweet to fall in love with his fair-trade pieces all over again.

Tokujin Yoshioka's Honey Pop Chair

First presented at the Milano Salone del Mobile in 2002 and spotted this past weekend at The Cooper Hewitt in their 'Curators Select' exhibition. Totally collapsible, frothy paper lusciousness.

Designhuis Hybrids

Hybrids by Eilis O’Connel, Academy National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland.



via dezeen

Eco Citizens Unite

The very eco fabulous Eco Citizen boutique in San Francisco recently launched its Autumn 08/Winter 09 campaign. Inspired by local citizens and their green, community-based projects and enterprises, this great line up of inspiring acts perfectly mirrors owner Joslin Van Ardsale's impeccable curation of her fashion-forward shop.





(all photos courtesy of the Eco Citizen website)

Ethereal Escapism

With the world seemingly crumbling all around us these days, I could not resist pairing these remarkable examples of 'ethereal escapism'. Naoko Serino's air-filled jute sculpture and Gareth Pugh's Spring 2009 collection are worlds apart but also inspired by fibers of expansion and futuristic promise. I don't mind full blown escapism when it leads us on a path to something purer and more resilient.









Thanks to Edina Tokodi @ mosstika for her great tip on Naoko Serino.

Tanvi Kant's Poetic Twist on Things

I have been a big fan of Tanvi Kant's recycled textile accessories for quite some time. Each wearable piece has a vocabulary of its own and seems to demonstrate a free-spirited lesson in thrifty resourcefulness and poetic defiance. If I had had more time to prepare for Urban Fiber Flotsam, I might have spent my evenings in the studio twisting and knotting my flotsam into delicate cords and twine. I know that when I return to the farm near Siena there will be more than enough vine-like overgrowth to inspire my next series of fiber forays.

Mesh, Ruffles, and Light Impressions

Elsbeth Joy Nielsen's A Silk Story via dezeen

Autumn style and radiant light take on many dimensions with these favorite finds from the web this past week. Architected meshwork, dappled print, and interlaced layering is as October-savvy as burnt orange. Shadows creep further out on the horizons as the days shorten and luminosity must now come from within. So much goodness in the face of so much uncertainty. Dreams are for putting on and just wearing with a big, hand-stitched bow it seems.



Faulders Studio Airspace Tokyo via Dwell

Desira Pesta's 2008 Winter Architecture Party Dress via Seed & Sew

Desira Pesta's Raphaelite Bow Belt on etsy via Seed & Sew

Detail of Desira Pesta's Raphaelite Bow Belt on etsy via Seed & Sew

Tim Walker - Pictures

Lily Cole and spiral staircase, 2007 Tim Walker

Sometimes you just have to succumb to the downright prettiness of fashion photography. The current Tim Walker - Pictures exhibit at the Design Museum in London juxtaposes the everyday with lavish delights and whimsical (absurd) landscapes and interiors. I am convinced that unfettered fantasy is indeed the cure to what ails us.

Erin O'Connor, Jacquetta Wheeler, and Lily Cole, 2007 Tim Walker

via dezeen

Festival du Lin

The lovely ladies at ID Textile (Marion, Sonia and Sylvie) sent me a link earlier this week to this amazing fiber installation for the Festival du Lin (Festival of Linen) in Normandy, France. What a gorgeous marriage of craft, ritual, and stunning site-specific adornment.