Posh Swaps Blog

Stella McCartney has always had a conscious when it comes to her fashion collections. She has launched an organic designer collection for the US luxury department store Barney’s and now plans to launch an organic collection in Britain. The collection will be true to her signature style but will give green shoppers the chance for a bit of luxury with all of the Eco collection being made from organic materials.

The collection will be sold at Stella’s London store and Harvey Nichols in London and will consist of 20 pieces, including coats, knits, suits and tunics, all in muted colours.

Stella has long been a champion for ethical fashion following in the footsteps of her late mother who was a vegetarian and refused to wear animal products including fur and leather. Stella has also made moves to become greener by using wind energy to power her studio and having an e-commerce site in the US that delivers carbon neutral orders.

pictures from www.barneys.com

Who would have thought that being green could be so stylish? Here are some of the best green and eco fashion tips of the week, enjoy!

The Fashionable Housewife is giving away Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancer. Enter for a chance to win!!!

Looking Sharp! is discovering Chickdowntown’s new vintage collection

FashionPulseDaily is really digging the recycled metal jewelry of Alex and Ani!

One dress, a great cause & countless looks. Fashiontribes tries it on for size.

RedPoppy Fashion loves the pretty and lightweight reusable bags from ENVIROSAX.

Posh Swaps loves the frugality, sustainability and style of Zero waste fashion.

Factio Magazine checks out Chicago’s newest luxury, eco-friendly hotel and all of their high-end restaurants! Check out theWit!

My Beauty Bunny shows you how to get gorgeous, healthy, post-beach hair!

NV London Calcutta is a company selling ethically produced, hand made luxury accessories. We all like a little treat from time to time or need a decadent present for someone really special. By choosing ethical goods like these gorgeous bags and scarves we can feel good that our purchase is benefiting those who have carefully crafted it.

My favourite is the Anita Laptop case with  a brown textured and butter soft buffalo hide body and antique brass fittings.

The beautiful bags from NV London Calcutta combine innovative British design talent and Indian artisan craftmanship giving accessories that are stylish and very covetable but guilt free. The hand bags and silk scarves are produced in Calcutta, one of India’s most poverty stricken cities, by a ‘not for profit’, World Fair Trade Organisation (IFAT) member manufacturer.

The bags are made of a variety of materials including leather, silk and canvas and include designs for a variety of occasions including yoga or the gym, weekend bags, tote bags and document cases.

Here at Posh Swaps we have been harping on for some time about the importance of reducing waste and being stylish at the same time. Now the designers are also starting to catch on too. Traditionally the fashion industry creates quite a lot of waste in the form of offcuts from cutting out the patterns. Designs like Mark Liu and Caroline Priebe are coming up with innovative and creative ways to reduce waste and make use of these offcuts.

Mark uses a a method of cutting a jigsaw pattern from a single piece of fabric in order to create all of the components to be assembled in his design and engineered screen printing to predraw the patterns onto fabrics. His designs are intricate, interesting and very beautiful, proving yet again that eco fashion can be as good design wise and in many cases better than conventional designer clothes. There are so many different types of eco fabric to choose from but when it comes to being really environmentally friendly you can’t really beat the 3 r’s reduce, reuse, recycle.

We thought we would put together some ideas on how to be thrifty and do some good for the environment. Here are our fifteen best ideas on how to look stylish, save money and even make a bit of money.

1. Of course clothes swapping is at number one. Apart from being great fun, it also doesn’t cost any money and is a great way to reduce waste.

2. Selling your old clothes, just like clothes swapping this is a great way to reduce waste and make money from something that you no longer want.

3. Buying second hand clothes. So much cheaper than new clothes, you get a lot more quality for your money by buying second hand clothes.

4. Selling refashioned or customised clothes. This is another one of our favourites, why not make old clothes into something unique and more valuable. If you are clever enough, you will be able to sell them for more than the original piece of clothing.

5. Accessorise - the cheapest way to get a new look is to accessorise some clothes that you already have. It is not about what you wear, more how you wear it.

6. Borrow clothes - if you have  one off event to go to and you need something specific to wear, why buy something new if you can borrow off a friend. Remember to always return borrowed clothes in immaculate condition.

7. Buy quality clothes that will last. If you buy quality clothes they will wash better and last longer. They don’t neccesarily cost much more than poor quality clothes.

8. Develop your own individual sense of style - you will be less dependant on following trends and so your clothes will last longer.

9. Look after you clothes - the better they are looked after, the longer they will last. Don’t let the moths get to your cashmere, your clothes lose their shape by being hung on the wrong hanger. Always follow the instructions on the label.

10. Mend your clothes - instead of throwing your clothes away if they get damaged try mending them. If they are irrepairable, you can recycle them by making them into something else.

11. Shop in the sales- look for classic clothes that will not be out of fashion next year and you could find some great bargains at a fraction of their original prices.

12. Compare prices - if you are looking for a specific item of clothing, shop around a bit. You may be able to find it somewhere else a bit cheaper.

13. Use shopping discount vouchers - there are plenty of websites with discount vouchers that will give you the opportunity for some money off.

14. Plan carefully. If you are going shopping, think beforehand about what you really need, set yourself a budget and stick to it. Thinking in advance will help to avoid those impulse buys that turn out to be a big mistake.

15. Watch out for extras associated with going shopping, like car park charges and delivery fees. If you are only buying something small these can add on a large percentage to your shop. Try shopping less often so you don’t pay out too many unnecessary charges.

picture from www.treehugger.com

If you are organising a swishing party for your friends, why not continue the environmental and sustainable them by serving some delicious and organic cocktails. By using organic spirits and fruit juices in your cocktails, you will get a very pure drink with no pesticides or nasties and may even avoid that hangover sore head the next day. Best of all these cocktails are delicious and very refreshing, great for sipping at whilst deciding which clothes you would like to swap.

Spajito - a new twist on the classic mojito

2 oz. Cucumber-infused Square One Organic Vodka

6 sprigs of fresh mint

1 Tbsp. organic Agave nectar

3 Tbsp. peeled and diced cucumber (preferably English)

1 lime, halved and juiced, with one half reserved

Club Soda or Sparkling water

Ice

Remove leaves from all but one sprig of mint, reserving that sprig for garnish. Place mint leaves, agave nectar, cucumber and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. “Muddle” (mash) the contents of the shaker with a wooden spoon or muddler for at least 30 seconds. Strain the liquid into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Add the vodka and the lime half and stir. Fill glass to desired level with soda water. Garnish with the remaining sprig of mint.

Lavender Honey Cream - great for those with a sweet tooth

1.5 oz Square One Organic Vodka
1 oz organic heavy cream
1 oz organic egg white
1 oz lavender honey syrup*

Add all ingredients over ice in a shaker and shake gently for 30 seconds. This will make a thick, creamy cocktail without too much ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a piece of lavender (this will add to the nose with each sip

*Lavender honey available in specialty stores. Boil one cup of water and slowly stir in 1 cup of lavender honey until dissolved. Lower heat and reduce for 3 minutes. Let cool and add to a squeeze bottle.

from the Square One organic vodka website

This week we have some great green and eco fashionable links with some great natural, healthy and sustainable style ideas.

The Fashionable Housewife is excited about Count Me Healthy Jewelry. A great way to track your health goals so you can get healthy faster!

My Beauty Bunny explains what it means for beauty products to be natural and organic.

Posh Swaps shows how you can have a stylish Eco wedding, a great way to start your married life!

Eco bags review by Quinta Trends

 I have just come across yet another fashion label using recycled materials and clothes to make some very desirable designs. Sew Last Season is the label created by London based designer Elena Garcia. It is dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to the waste created by the fashion industry and recycling or ‘upcycling’ which describes the process of taking something that is being disposed of and transforming it into something that is of greater use and value.

Sew Last Season creates limited edition pieces from excess production clothes such as office shirts. It uses applie surface textiles and low impact dying to create trendy but individual pieces. It use local labour to create the clothes and also works with community groups like HEBA women’s project in Brick Lane, London.

At the moment the label only has menswear collections but plans a women’s wear line soon. They are also working with high street retailers on ways to upcycle their waste.

Second Hand Ivory Lace Wedding Dress

Whether you are an eco warrior or not, having an eco wedding is a great way to show your commitment to the environment and get your married life off to a great start. A wedding is often a time when consumerism takes over and thoughts of the environment are forgotton. The carbon footprint of a wedding is often huge especially considering it is just one day.  Having an Eco chic wedding is also a great way to show your family and friends great ways to live a greener life. Here are some of our ideas for a greener or eco wedding.

• Buy a second hand wedding dress. As wedding dresses only get worn for one day, it is likely to be in great condition and a fraction of the cost of a new dress. Once your special day is over you can recycle it by selling it or donating to charity.
• Serve organic and locally produced food at the reception. Although organic food is a bit more expensive than normal food, it will taste better and you can keep it affordable by keeping it simple.
• Encourage guests to buy recycled wedding presents. You can still make a list of what you need, they can then look on ebay, at charity shops or car boots for something you will love.
• Reduce the carbon footprint of your honeymoon by holidaying in the UK. Just because you are not flying miles away, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a luxurious and romantic break.
• Grow the flowers for the wedding in your garden. This will take a bit of forward planning but will be better for the environment than flowers that have travelled miles.
• For your hen night, why not do something green and fun like some a conservation weekend or for those less outdoorsy types a clothes swap?
• You could even have a second hand / vintage theme or dress code for guests at the wedding.

Eco friendly weddings has a great list of UK suppliers of almost everything that you could need for an eco f wedding. even if you do not manage to make the whole of your wedding eco friendly, every little helps. Keeping things simple is  a really good start.

Most people will probably admit to enjoying spending money but it is not the only way to have fun. In fact there are so many ways of having fun that do not involve spending money. Those who find themselves spending money to feel happy are likely to spend more than they have and end up in debt. The happiness caused by spending money is an empty sort of happiness and not really very fulfilling.

There are so many fulfilling ways to enjoy yourself without spending money. Spending time with family and friends is one of the best things in life. Having a chat over a cup of tea costs next to nothing and is likely to give you an instantly happy feeling (depending on who you are chatting with). A clothes swapping party with friends is a great way to refresh your wardrobe for free. You get just as much of a buzz from swapping something lovely that looks great on you if not more because you have no credit card to pay off afterwards.

The recession has caused so many people to rediscover the simple things in life and reconsider their consumerism due to lack of money. Perhaps some people will find that by spending less money, they can afford to work less hours, spend more time with the people that they love and lead a less stressful life.