bamboo

Makool Loves You (with an exclusive discount!)

by grechen on December 11, 2008 | SUBSCRIBE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK |

makool loves you is my new favorite online boutique. Everything on the site is handpicked by Anisa, designer of the Makool line, to feature her own work, as well as the work of some of her favorite designers. makool loves you is a completely independent online boutique (my favorite kind) and most of the items are made from sustainable fabrics, like soy & bamboo, or made using recycled fabrics…take these knickers for example, which are cotton/soy & made from leftover bits from larger projects. SO freakin’ cute:

There’s also plenty of other loveliness on the site, including this cowl scarf and tunic/dress:

And, finally, here’s the deal: take 20% off your order of FULL-PRICED merchandise with code GC12 through the end of the year. Now is the time to support independent online retailers and local designers, and this is a great way to do it.

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Review: Toggery by Kate D’Arcy

by grechen on October 15, 2008 | SUBSCRIBE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK |

I wrote about Kate D’Arcy’s new venture, Lux Green Living, a few weeks ago, and now, I am excited to review a few organic cotton pieces from Toggery, Kate’s clothing line!

First, the french terry lounge pants. This has basically been my uniform whenever I’m home: Kate’s pants, a SPUN organic cotton tank top, and this Ever organic cotton hoody when I’m a little cool, and Ethletic “chucks” when I walk the dog. The pants are 93% organic cotton and 7% spandex; and thank goodness for the spandex…it’s what pulls everything in! I feel like the pants are more wide leg than flared, and I did have to cut an inch or so off the bottom – I’m short. They roll up a tiny bit at the bottom, but it’s not noticeable at all. I love that they’re low rise, but not too low rise, and incredibly comfy…

toggery by kate d'arcy organic cotton review by greengrechen.com

I also got this great organic cotton ballet neck tee (available at Greenloop in the “rust” color I have). I love the longer length, the color, the neckline (I think the ballet neckline is flattering on most), and how soft it is. Here are a couple of outfits from last week with this top:

toggery by kate d'arcy organic cotton review by greengrechen.com

On the left, I’m also wearing a pair of James Jeans I’ve had FOREVER – I think they’re my oldest pair of jeans, Repetto BB Ballet flats, and a Jenny Yuen “Hitchcock” bag. On the right, I’m wearing J Brand “Kat” wideleg jeans, Sportmax clogs, and the Jenny Yuen bag again.

I also got this great cowl neck dress – again, in organic cotton. The reason I’m in side view on this one, is that it’s a little too short for me to wear without tights for my taste…and it’s been way too hot here to wear tights. So I just snapped this picture to give you an idea of the general fit. I think for Winter, I will wear opaque black or brown tights, wear the dress belted, with a grandfather cardigan over it all…sounds comfy!!

toggery by kate d'arcy organic cotton review by greengrechen.com

I am so pleased with my Toggery experience so far…everything fits very well (for your information, I’m always a large on the bottom, size 32 or 12 jeans, and mostly a large on the top, but I can sometimes take a medium on top). All the pieces I received were larges – I could have gone with a medium in the long sleeve top, to cut out some of the scrunching, but I tend to like things for Fall/Winter longer and “scrunchier” – it’s just more comfortable! Also, everything’s been washed multiple times already and I don’t think anything shrunk…

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Review: Tees for Change

by grechen on June 30, 2008 | SUBSCRIBE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK |

I’m really not a huge graphic/message-tee person – I tend to stay more with solid colors and eschew patterns altogether. I know. Boring!!! But…that’s just what fits my age/lifestyle better and makes it easier to work pieces into my wardrobe.

That said, I’m certainly not opposed to said tees, especially if they’re more environmentally friendly and pass on an important message. Enter Tees for Change – “Sustainable Tees on a Mission”. I received the “Choose Happiness” tee to review recently, and I must say, cheesy as it may sound, I do try to choose to be happier when I wear it. (at least when I pass myself in the mirror and the tee subtly encourages me to!)

closeup of the tee:

This tee is made from 70% sustainable bamboo and 30% organic cotton, so it’s oh-so soft, and easy to wear. As I mentioned before, with my review of the Doie bamboo dress, bamboo drapes so nicely on the body, it’s always flattering in my opinion. This is also a little more lightweight than 100% bamboo, so it feels great in 90 degree heat. I prefer to wear it layered, for a more subtle look, but it’s perfect with just jeans, or a knee-length skirt.

Tees for Change has many other styles of tee, and messages like:
“Live Mindfully,” “Laugh Often,” “Practice Kindness,” “Seek Balance,” “Today Matters.” All the tees are fair trade and made under sweatshop-free conditions from 100% organic cotton in the United States or 70% bamboo/30% organic cotton in Turkey. The cotton is cultivated without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which is good for the environment and for the workers who grow and manufacture the shirts.

I also love the story of how/why Andrea started Tees for Change:

“Andreea Ayers started Tees For Change while pregnant with her first child in 2007. She and her husband desired to experience a home birth for their son, but they were often bombarded with negative and fearful responses from both friends and strangers. Andreea’s response was one that would ultimately shape and guide her business. She created a t-shirt for herself with the words “Be Courageous” printed across the front that she wore during the home delivery of her healthy son. In Spring 2007 Tees For Change was born out of Andreea’s ongoing commitment to living an eco-friendly lifestyle with a deep belief in positive thinking.”

This, dear visitors, is why I love to support independent businesses – there is meaning and purpose behind everything they do, which is what I try to achieve with my own life. “Live Mindfully”

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Review: Doie Designs Bamboo Dress

by grechen on June 16, 2008 | SUBSCRIBE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK |

If you’ve never worn bamboo before, it can take a little getting used to, but I love it. I have a several-year old bamboo t-shirt I have worn to death, and I find bamboo to be incredibly soft and comfortable. It’s generally thicker and heavier than cotton – this dress is actually “heavy,” relatively speaking, on the hanger. But a great side-effect of that and one of the most fabulous things about bamboo is the way it drapes when worn – this dress just falls perfectly, and hides all flaws. Bamboo is also more absorbent than cotton, so it wicks away moisture faster; it’s naturally anti-bacterial (maybe that’s why it can easily be grown without pesticides?), and incredibly breathable.

Many eco-friendly designers use bamboo because it’s more sustainable than cotton – bamboo grows incredibly fast and can be grown entirely without pesticides – but it’s not perfect by any means. Bamboo still has to be chemically processed, but manufacturers and designers are working on ways to “green” the entire process so bamboo will be 100% earth-friendly. In the mean time, it’s still better than conventional cotton in my opinion.

Back to the Pesar dress…it’s very hard to see from the picture, but the bodice is slightly gathered, and the straps are thicker on the shoulders so they’re great for hiding bra straps. There is a self-tie I have tied behind my back, and I love the silk strip at the bottom – so unique! You do have to dry clean this dress because of the silk trim, but you can minimize the need to do that by wearing a slip (I do). When I wear this dress, I’m constantly touching it because it’s so soft…if you own any bamboo, you probably know what I mean!!

Find more places that sell Doie online here.

(see our Interview with Doie designer, Sara Kirsner for more information/background on the company and inspiration for her designs)

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Bamboo & Cashmere, oh my!

October 3, 2007

It took me a while to adjust to the fact that you could buy a shirt made from bamboo, but once I tried on and felt for myself how soft and lightweight the material is, I was sold. And can I just say, how cute is the name “Panda Snack”? This is a new cashmere/bamboo [...]