Miami Swim Week: Lume Swimwear 2017

Ready to make your body a canvas? Lume Swimwear believes in fashion, art and giving back. Their Summer 2017 collection featured several artwork styles. There was an abstract painted brushstroke design, tribal patterns, and mosaic tile prints. 

Lume Swimwear commits itself to producing an ethical fashion brand and fair trade. They pay their worker's fair wages but also donate a percentage of the profits back to the communities of their employees. They consider themselves a collection with a conscience. In manufacturing, they do not use water in their printing process and use recycled plastic for their packaging.

The styles were rather sporty. The halter neck bikini top was popular with Lume Swimwear this season, as were ruffled crops and pieces with contrast straps. While most models in fashion shows maintain a cool demeanor, all of the models at this show were having a great time smiling and flirting with the photographers. The long tassels on some looks were great for swinging around. Little fringe trimmed cover-ups were also used to photogenic effect.

If you want to splurge on a swimwear brand that makes you feel good and looks good, Lume Swimwear's 2017 collection would be the place to shop!

all photos by Mariana Leung

Read more >>

Fresh Youth Initiative's Recycled Fashion Show

Looking for true eco-chic fashion? I went local (my own 'hood) and found a bunch of young crafters and designers.  The talents from the Fresh Youth Initiative created fabulous dresses made from newspapers, magazines and other typical trash items.

Under the direction of Fatima Guzman, the organization in Upper Manhattan put together the Fashionista project.  The mission was to gather items that people typically throw away (they also use lots of candy wrappers, chip bags, bottle caps, etc.) and create an upcycled stylish piece.

The grand finale of the recycled fashion project was a runway show featuring the 16 young makers.  The choreographed presentation took place earlier this month at the Opus Lounge in Inwood section of Manhattan.

As you can see, the silhouettes they achieved are quite impressive.  Some pieces looked like a corset with an elaborate train, fluted skirt, quick similar to some of the shapes you see on the Haute Couture runways.  If these ladies keep at it, they may be the new generation of style.
Photos courtesy of freshyouth.org

Read more >>

Shopping in Hanoi: Metiseko

Like the cuisine, the best shopping Hanoi can be found in the fusion of French flavors and Vietnamese handiwork.  Metiseko is a popular destination for chic women's and children's fashion and home decor.    With the stress on the "eko" (eco) part of the collection, the brand features organic and sustainable silks and cottons in their products.

Creative director Florence Mussou designs the collection with the lifestyle of the world traveller as muse.  She herself is French and studied art before journeying to Vietnam.  The pretty prints are stylized graphic interpretations of traditional Vietnamese motifs like dragonflies, lotus leaves and rice.  The goods are environmentally friendly and have a relaxed, happy vibe.

Visiting the Hanoi shop itself was a little oasis from the chaos of mopeds and over stimulation outside.  Situated on Hang Gai, the street of silk, the store staff were all chatty and friendly with a love of the collection.  The boutique is having a party later this week and promotes a wellness lifestyle I think we could all benefit from.

If you can't travel to Hanoi, shop from Metiseko online.

Read more >>

Ten Ways to Green Your Closet

Earth Day is coming up on Sunday.  It started in 1970 during a time of anti-war sentiment and concerns about the environment.  Sad to say, those concerns are just as prominent today as they were back then.

Historically, the environment hasn’t been a priority among the fashion set.  The luxury industry is forever linked to conspicuous consumption.   That said, designers today are becoming more eco-conscious.  Zac Posen, Lauren Bush, Derek Lam and Behnaz Sarafpour among others gathered in Manhattan to support Clean By Design, an initiative with the Council of Fashion Designers of America with Vogue Magazine that aims to reduce the negative impact fashion has on the environment.  The initiative wants to educate fashion designers. 

The current state of pollution was a major inspiration in the designs at Qinghai Design School’s graduating class for Shanghai Fashion Week.  Outfits included turtlenecks that converted into facial protection and color coordinated face masks.

So what can YOU do to green your own wardrobe?

1)  Be a locavore.  Buying food from local sources has gained momentum in recent years.  Apply the same principles to clothes.  Support designers like Nanette Lepore who manufacture domestically, which provides employment to the local economy or designers from your home town.  Items that don’t need to be shipped via boat or plane obviously have a smaller carbon footprint.

2    2) Buy vintage.  Tailoring, construction and design details rocked in decades past.  Television shows like Mad Men have made wardrobes the real star.  Buy the real thing from great vintage shops or find a bargain at reputable thrift stores like Salvation Army.  Believe or not, they are a stylist’s secret weapon and actually partner with a lot of high fashion sources to manage their chic offerings.

3   3)    Recycle to upcycle. If you find that great vintage or thrift find, perfect.  If not, get creative and transform a castoff into something fabulous.  Need ideas? Great sites like Threadbanger  have a lot of DIY instructions.  Not crafty? Seek out designers who do it for you.  BabySteinberg out of Canada transforms garbage into couture creations.  Designer  Christopher Raeburn  updates older pieces for the modern hipster.

   

     4) Style swap.  Broke?  Clothing swaps around the country are a hit.  Find your fashion soulmate and trade your favorites for new favorites.  Find some in your hometown with swap groups on Meetup.com.

5      5)     Eco-friendly fabrics. Clothing made from green materials aren't the granola, harsh fabrics of the early days.  Bamboo knits come in amazing color palettes and are super soft.  Hemp silk bridal gowns have a luxurious look and texture.  Warm fleece made from discarded water bottles help reduce a bit of the landfills.  Lyocell, tencel and other new plant-based fabrics are gaining popularity.  Technology is constantly bringing new materials to the industry as well.  Learn more about these at Ecouterre.com.  

5   6) Planet-friendly accessories.  There are a huge range of accessories that can be made from eco-friendly materials that might not work in clothing.  Nahui Ollin’s bags made from candy wrappers have been seen on the arms of hipsters, television stars and fashion icons.  Vegetable tagua is a great alternative to make beads.  Craft fairs are full of jewelry made from everything from soda can tabs, vintage book covers to scarves felted from old clothing.  The handbag design competitionawards top prizes to Best Green Handbag and Best Socially Responsible Handbags, proving that style with a conscious can also be super-chic. 

  

     7) Pass on packaging.  I know part of the thrill of the shopping experience is the tissue paper, glossy bag and pretty box.  Truthfully, the pleasure of that only lasts a few seconds.  Packaging costs a lot of money to produce and has been factored in to the cost of your item.  Taking your goods home in your fabulous handbag is more glamorous and creates a lot less garbage.

     8)     Multi-task your items.  Put your stylist skills to use.  Find items that can be worn in different ways…Imagine a dress that can be worn as a top, cardigan, tunic and skirt, then folds into a bag.  Look for convertible garments that are designed to be worn different ways so you have several styles to choose from.  We like the 5 in 1 dress from Thieves Boutique. This also makes packing for a trip a breeze!

9   9) Buy better, not more.  Invest in better pieces.  Having a ton of cheap, crappy clothes doesn't impress anyone.  What’s more, cheaply made mass market duds are more likely to be made at factories with less standards for the environment, worker safety and quality.  

1. 10)   Support good companies.  Research and buy goods from companies that you know to have good practices.  Eileen Fisher  produces a pretty Eco collection with their own employees as models.  At their headquarters, they practice every day polices like a central garbage disposal for the floor that encourages employees to produce less waste if they have to travel to get rid of it.

Happy Earth Day!

Read more >>

Toronto Fashion Week: Baby Steinberg Salvage

There is plenty of trashy fashion out there.  How often have you seen very chic fashion made of trash?  Baby Steinberg presented one of my favorite shows during LG Fashion Week with an inventive collection from salvaged materials. 

There were dresses made from pleated coffee filters, braided garbage bags and crocheted cell phone chargers.  Found keys jingled with knitted VHS film.  Discarded take-out bags made a dramatic outfit with feathers and seeds.  Window screen puffed out into a dramatic cocktail dress.  

Baby Steinberg is not a mass-market designer.  She made her reputation creating one-of-a-kind garments for performers and socialites.  She also creates jewelry

A concept like this usually looks like a gimmicky art project.  What made the difference in making this look like a sophisticated runway was the treatment of the materials.  The coffee filters were pleated into delicate shapes to mimic organza flowers popularized by designers like Monique Lhuillier.  The garbage bags were twisted and crocheted into contouring forms like a metallic yarn.  

Photos by Ritika Wahal

Read more >>

ECO-CHIC at the Scandinavia House

When you think of ‘green’ fashion and eco-friendly clothes, do you think drab? Shapeless sacks of hemp, faded linens, dragging earth tones? Think again.

At the Scandinavia House, there is a free exhibit until August 21^st, 2010. The Eco-Chic exhibit in Midtown Manhattan's Scandinavia House showcases Sweden’s best designers who follow the principles of sustainable design.

Frumpy, the clothes are not. Julian Red’s lurex/linen trench strikes a very tailored, dramatic silhouette. Anja Hynynen’s delicately knitted gowns are delicately sculpted into ruffles. The comically named Swedish Hasbeens makes ultra-sturdy handmade boots from traditional methods.

The museum doesn’t just serve to present pretty fashion. As you walk around the rooms, you can fill out survey testing your eco-chic knowledge.

The fashions and accessories on display represent multiple disciplines of sustainable fashion. It demonstrates the different fabrications like hemp, organic cotton, linens, etc. These many people know.

Eco-friendly clothing is more than that. Ethical and fair-trade practices of manufacturing are explored. Re-using and re-cycling is updated by mixing vintage with the new and the popular “upcycling” of items. Re-purposing a piece to something fabulous.

Many don’t know that harmful effects that stem from laundry. The simple choice to air dry and hand wash a garment makes a huge impact globally if done en masse.

Read more >>