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Tuesday , September 23, 2008

Love (and a Q&A): Vivien Cheng

Based in England, artist and designer Vivien Cheng takes vintage handbags and turns them into whimsical, utterly marvelous works of art. Literally -- she paints on them in painstaking and gorgeous detail, drawing designs and motifs that emphasize the beauty of their original designs while taking them into new, fanciful directions. I love how it's a bit Art Nouveau, a bit nature-whimsy -- and completely eye-catching. (And, needless to say, quite eco-friendly.) Vivien's work is carried in such London boutiques as Covet, and she's starting to make waves here in the U.S., being recently picked up at Sophie Roan in NYC. (She also has an Etsy shop -- yay for online shopping!) Her work is one-of-a-kind, serene yet vibrant -- and it's wonderful to see the care and attention paid on each item.

Not only is she talented and creative (our favorite type of being around here), Vivien was kind enough to answer a few questions about her work and process for nogoodforme.com!

+ Continue reading "Love (and a Q&A): Vivien Cheng"

Tags: art, eco-fashion, eco-friendly, handbags, vintage, Vivien Cheng

Thursday , September 4, 2008

Love: Be.True Jewelry

The world keeps on spinning, spinning, spinning, and even in the face of deadlines, monster madness and the upcoming apocalypse, we here at nogoodforme HQ keep gathering prizes for the Spirit Animal House charity raffle. Our latest choice lovely is a pretty little sterling silver necklace from Be.True. Designed by Gin Bartlett, Be.True features jewelry rendered in beautifully clean, contemporary lines, which highlight the often exquisite metals and gems each piece is made out of. There's a nice sense of balance with each item in the line, and it's all crisp enough that it works with a variety of aesthetics. It's jewelry that's made so you can wear your heart on your sleeve: direct, straightforward, yet often tender and emotional. Be.True also has their own charitable giving campaign -- purchase a "Be" cuff or necklace and a donation will be made to a charity or non-profit chosen for that month by Be.True. Be.True has a substantial eco-friendly component to its company and is making more and more jewelry from recycled silvers and golds, so keep your eye on them on the sustainable front as well.

The necklace that Be.True so kindly donated to Spirit Animal House's charity raffle is a lovely silver chain with a 1" wide pendant that reads "LIVE." There's also a darling teeny sapphire encrusted in the pendant; it's very light and delicate and serene. It's available for some lucky winner to run off with, so buy a raffle ticket or two in support of our favorite animal charities like BARC, ARK II or PAWS/LA and cross your fingers that we pull your name out of our fedora!

Buy a raffle ticket to win the Be.True "LIVE" necklace:

Tags: Be.True, eco-friendly, jewelry, raffle prizes, Spirit Animal House, sustainable

Thursday , July 24, 2008

Reader Discount: 10% Off at youdeserve.com

Youdeserve.com is an eco-fashion site, but it's no ordinary one -- it makes sustainable fashion for women, men and home available at a discount at prices 30-70% lower than normal retail value. The possible loot ranges goods from eco-designers such as Same Underneath, Grace & Cello and Del Forte. Readers of nogoodforme can get an additional 10% off their order at youdeserve.com with the code "nogoodforme" till 8/20/08 -- just in time to stock up for fall. Hoo-yay! (They also offer free shipping on orders over $150, no code needed.) Some of our favorites are below; be sure to act fast on items you like, because once your size is gone, it's sayonara for good!

Del Forte Calla jean in light wash:

Same Underneath cashmere hooded dress:

Tags: coupon codes, deals, eco-fashion, promotions

Wednesday , July 23, 2008

Eco-Fashion: Vegan Queen

Peeps who care for the provenance of their sartorial goods are getting luckier and luckier as the field of eco-friendly design grows and flourishes. Vegan and other strands of green design used to be mired in either a blandly hippie style or this sort of unisex urban utilitarian thing that made everyone look like they listened to electronica and ate at fusion restaurants. (Not that there is anything wrong with those things, but you know what I mean.) Glamourinas who want to be green but not give up their yen for old-school luxury are in luck when it comes to ethically produced goods now that Vegan Queen are on the scene, however -- the line fulfills that preppy-girly kick and manages to be totally vegan at the same time.

The eco-friendliness credentials of Vegan Queen are pretty high: absolutely no animal products are used, and neither is any toxic, gross PVC. The bags use vegetal leather, which is made from specially harvested rubber trees, and the company's shipping and packing policies reflect a commitment to minimizing the environmental impact upon the earth. Design-wise, Vegan Queen is unabashedly fancy, with detailing, shapes and lines that evoke European and British luxury. (The bags would not look out of place next to lines like Burberry or even Louis Vuitton.) I had the pleasure of taking a good, detailed look at a few of the items, and the details -- from the zipper pulls to the crest logo -- are meticulously wrought and rich with monied association. (I also heard that the stylists from "Gossip Girl" pulled some of the bags for the upcoming season -- knowing how costume designers and wardrobe departments work, who knows if they'll make it in, but keep your eyes peeled!) The materials of the bags, clutches and wallets are high-quality and extremely durable -- the wallet-clutch is especially great to handle and is kind of unbelievably awesome. It's pricey stuff, but those who truly invest in their accessories and use their handbags for years will appreciate a truly eco-friendly, animal-loving option that is of the highest quality and truly eco-luxurious.

Tags: accessories, eco-fashion, vegan goodness, Vegan Queen

Monday , June 23, 2008

Imaginary Shopping Spree: Sublet Clothing, Orange amps, jungle quilts

Sublet "Alison" dress, greenloop.com

Sublet Clothing are a fairly young sustainable label that make their clothes right here in NYC; the company was started by two roommates who found one another on Craigslist. Isn't that cute? I think it is. This dress is one of the highlights of their line -- it's made of super-soft organic cotton and bamboo and drapes so beautifully and with great ease. The truth is that I have a million of these type of dresses already, but that doesn't stop me from coveting this one. (Kat)

The entire Orange Amplifier family, orangeamps.com

I don't play guitar. I guess I kind of play the bass guitar, but only in the same way that everybody plays the bass guitar- it's too damned easy! It's like the recorder (which I also play, just like everybody). The entirety of my bass guitar repertoire consists of "Love Me Do," "Blank Generation," and this little "lick" I made up when I was sixteen and fabulous named "X-box" because the notes are arranged in an X-like composition. Mostly, I play the piano, and I ain't no phenom. I rarely fantasize about plugging a keyboard into a guitar amp and seeing what would happen. I have no idea what would happen. I'm not some losery dude who thinks about these things all the time. I just float through writing and playing music with the nonchalance of a model-turned-actress. Really, my intense desire to accumulate every single model of Orange amplifier has very little to do with their intended function of amplifying notes. I think they are beautiful, cute, and aesthetically perfect. I'm staying in New York City this week and have visited every clothing store imaginable; I've lost all perspective on clothing and wore sweatshorts and a Neil Young t-shirt yesterday. Fashion is too hard. I just want a bunch of Orange amps that I could either go halfsies on with a sexy guitar-playing genius dude or else pile up against a wall and look at. Dead Meadow, Noel Gallagher, and Black Sabbath understand. Classic. (Laura)

Urban Safari quilt, Urban Outfitters

I used to always want a bedroom like that scene in Mermaids when Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci and Bob Hoskins paint the walls ocean-blue and cut little sea shapes out of the lampshade so it looks like they're living underwater. Then when Joanna Newsom's Ys came out I started dreaming of carved wood deer heads and wallpaper printed with near-life-size trees. And now I'm going through a probably fleeting fascination with jungle fauna, so at the moment this quilt seems like the best thing I've ever seen. It's designed by Julia Rothman (who also does a fantastic blog called Book By Its Cover), and I discovered it at Oh Joy! (where nearly all lovely things I want to fill my apartment with are discovered). It's an odd thing to lust after right now, since I just bought new bedding last week and L.A.'s so scorchingly hot that I'm seriously considering camping out in the backyard. But I'm all about seasonally inappropriate desires, which explains why I'm also currently aching for a pair of white leather go-go boots, preferably slouchy. (Liz)

Tags: animal prints, dresses, eco-fashion, home, Orange amplifiers, organic cotton, Sublet Clothing, sustainable, Urban Outfitters

Tuesday , June 10, 2008

Eco-Love: Nicole Bridger

I think any educated fashion person knows that "green" fashion doesn't mean Earth shoes and hemp tunics anymore -- the field has been flooded with an influx of designers that are bringing such fresh, contemporary aesthetics and influences to their work that their clothes can stand beside their mainstream equivalents at Barneys or Scoop and no one would know the difference. Even as the contemporary market becomes more and more "couture-like" in the detailing and intricacy of garments, sustainable fashion is keeping up, especially with designers like Nicole Bridger in the fray. The Vancouver-based Bridger has plenty of eco-cred -- she's designed an earth-friendly line for Lululemon -- but her design credentials are equally strong, having trained and worked at Vivienne Westwood, a name that always makes fashionistas' hearts beat faster. Westwood's penchant for dramatic draping and artful tailoring definitely informs Bridger's designs, but her line also shows a body-friendly, casual flair for the everyday life of your average city girl. I love the sophistication and quiet creativity of her clothes, which guarantee pride of place in any closet for seasons and seasons to come -- probably the most sustainable practice of all in my book. Bridger's work is available online at Beklina, one of our favorite online boutiques for sustainable fashion, and any fashion, really.

+ Posted by Katin Eco-Fashion | Permalink | Stumble This! | Digg This! |

Tuesday , April 29, 2008

nogoodforme superlatives: Weirdest Wardrobe Staples

Sworn Virgins bamboo leggings

I really have to eat my words when it comes to leggings: when they got popular again, I swore up and down I would never be down with them. But then, of course, I discovered that they are ten million times better than tights for the winter, and then I was hooked. But it's been an odyssey to find just the right ones, and I spent much of my 2007 trying to find a pair that fit well and didn't piss me off in some way or another. Like many people, I first went with American Apparel, who probably helped to spearhead the leggings revival with their annoying and ubiquitous advertising -- you know, all those ads with the chicks splayed out so suggestively you kind of forget they were advertising clothes, not phone sex. But like so much else of American Apparel, those leggings wore out fast, getting all holey and stretched out and basically untenable, no matter how many times I darned the damned things. Annoyed and refusing to give any more money to them, I went the old-school route and finally got Danskin leggings, which was like being in ballet class all over again. They were way more durable than American Apparel (since you know, actual dancers have to wear them, and not just phone sex models.) The only issue I had with them was that they were just a tad too short. (I like a longer leg.) This sent me on an odyssey to basically every mall chain that was selling leggings, ever -- only, you know, I'd find myself handling really cheap-o cloth and realizing I was this close to the dark side. But then, finally, like a light at the end of the tunnel, I discovered my perfect legging: super-soft, eco-friendly, and gloriously long, these Sworn Virgins leggings are so my favorite these days. Known for eco-friendly basics, I should've known the California-based company would come through in my Great Leggings Crisis of Late 2007. We've been good so far, these leggings and I -- no weird stretchiness at the knees, a nice retaining of fit, incredible softness and they haven't worn out yet. It's so funny -- I hated the idea of leggings so intensely at first, and now I just love these. Life is so strange. (Kat)

Zany J.Crew Cardies

In my opinion, if something is a) a cardigan, and/or b) manufactured by J.Crew, it counts as a neutral. These sweaters are my neutral. J.Crew makes the exact same cardigan over and over again in different colors and textiles every season; my wont is to purchase as many variations of said cardigan as possible, and to always opt for the wackiest available print. I have learned from leafing through enough waiting room copies of Glamour or whatever that a woman is supposed to choose basic, neutral pieces to spike her wardrobe with class and timelessness- I tend to do the exact opposite. It makes a lot more sense in the context of how I want to present myself to begin an outfit with something outlandish, then deduce how I can dress it down, sparing myself a potentially fatal overdose of loony-bin chic. I have no earthly desire to resemble Grace Kelly or Nan Kempner in any way; I strive for classicism in my personal style about as much as I strive for classicism in anything else I do, that is to say: not at all. If capturing some essence of "personal style" is your goal, banality is the ultimate mark of failure. No matter what the situation is, I don't want to be boring. Conversely, I'm also an incredibly lazy person, and five out of seven days, I lack the drive to construct any sort of "look" stretching beyond jeans and a t-shirt. And such is the crux of my dependence on the J.Crew cardigan: nothing can un-boring up darkwash skinny jeans and a navy Mets t-shirt like a generous dose of lemon yellow zebra print. Let's just pray that next season they come out with a Revolver-print variant: although I do get more compliments on my Soiree cardi (far right) than anything else I've ever owned, let's face it: I ain't no Uptown Girl. (Laura)

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Wicked-old concert t-shirts my parents bought me when I was a little kid

At the risk of totally doing this entry wrong, I'm gonna be real loose with my interpretation of the word "weird" here and let it stand as a synonym for "different" and "unique" and "extra extra special." The thing is, I'm not creative enough, fashion-wise, to make fantastic wardrobe staples out of the most unlikely garments/accessories/what-have-you's (and I'm not trying to be self-effacing here - just speaking my truth). So the stuff in my closet that's most apt to make you go, "Whoa, really?" would be my small-ish but impressve collection of concert tees, all bought for me by my parents at various points throughout the 1980s. The oldest is a David Bowie one my mom got when she went to see him on the Serious Moonlight tour in '83. Then there's a Madonna shirt from the Who's That Girl tour, which I love even more than the tee I bought myself when I went to see her on Blonde Ambition. And lastly but not leastly, a U2 t-shirt circa The Joshua Tree, faded-black with lovely gold lettering. (A funny story about this one is that, sometime in college when I was home for the summer, I went to a party and ran into a boy from grade school - the first thing he said was, "Hey, you're that girl that used to wear a U2 shirt in fourth grade!" See, age-inappropriate music nerdiness = eventual legendary status.) And yes, they all still fit, because apparently when I was wee I liked to wear my t-shirts big enough to fall somewhere around my knees. The Bowie shirt's my favorite, though it makes me super-nostalgic for another first-grade prized possession: my beautiful metal Empire Strikes Back lunchbox. God, what a tomboy freak I was. (Liz)

+ Posted by Kat, Liz and Laurain Superlatives | Permalink | Stumble This! | Digg This! |

Monday , April 14, 2008

Imaginary Shopping Spree: Moroccomania, Mociun, Royal Elastics

These are the goods that are trying to seduce the dollars right out of our wallets this week!

A bunch of Moroccan fineries, Moroccan Caravan and Just Morocco

These April days, my heart of hearts has moved to Marrakech. If I lived in a fantasy world where I could afford to buy whatever the hell I wanted always, I think this week I'd forgo I Heart and APC shopping binges in favor of taking a life-defining vacation to Morocco. What I wouldn't give to drop thousands at the Djemaa el Fna; these goodies I scoured from various "Authentic Moroccan Garments!" websites probably ain't got nothing on the gems I'd inevitably fall head-over-heels for once exposed to the Real Deal. Not that these treasures don't all totally rule- they do. That necklace is a showstopper and a half, born to be paired with skintight All Black. I'd cut the earth-toned kaftan into a mini and belt it. The orange dress is perfect as is, and those Berber sandals? Are you kidding me?? I'd pair those with teeny shorts and a t-shirt; Anita Pallenberg would die of jealousy. (Laura)

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Mociun dress, kaightshop.com

For once believe the hype: I've seen this dress on many ladies, and nearly everyone's looked amazing in it. Based in Brooklyn and using organic and sustainable materials, Mociun makes these beautifully artful clothes, and the prints are really kind of amazing. The frock flows in just the right places, and the shape is unexpectedly versatile. I want to wear this as I sip cocktails on a rooftop in Brooklyn this summer, know what I'm sayin'? (Kat)

The snakeprint Flonica from Royal Elastics

Last week when Kat posted about finding her summer shoe I was all, "I wanna find my summer shoe, too!" And then I walked past the Royal Elastics store in Santa Monica the other day and had what I guess you'd call an "a-ha! moment." These are perfect for me cuz I've got an intense fear of open-toed shoes: I hate my toes and believe them to look like E.T. heads. Plus, the faux snakeskin makes me think of Slash, which is always a good thing. (Liz)

+ Posted by Kat, Liz and Laurain Imaginary Shopping Spree | Permalink | Stumble This! | Digg This! |

Sunday , April 13, 2008

Eco-Love: FIN

One of the exciting things about sustainable style is that it's such an "emerging" field (from the design perspective at least) that it's almost ten times more exciting to discover a new name or label. Such is the case with FIN, an eco-luxury label based in Oslo, Norway. What I love about FIN (besides their commitment to fair trade manufacturing and sustainable materials, including organic cotton and the intriguingly named wild hand-spun silk) is how they mix in urban, hard-edged styles with a very classic, even ladylike sensibility: a rockin' one-shouldered dress co-exists with a beautifully designed trench or a gracefully draped camisole. It could be schizo but it's not, because each piece is united by its careful attention to line, proportion and a certain restraint. The result is a collection of beautiful pieces that are investments, not flash, and are gently poetic and unpretentious.

FIN is carried online by the fabulous Equita, where I'm currently stalking this one-shouldered dress (among many other things.)

+ Posted by Katin Eco-Fashion | Permalink | Stumble This! | Digg This! |

Thursday , April 10, 2008

First Look: Rogan for Target! Not Just Swimwear, Thank God, But Still Organic

We thought we were exhausted from all the high/low collabos lately, but I guess not, because I got all zing-y when images from the Rogan for Target collection broke. Slated to come into stores on May 18th, it turns out that Rogan Gregory is doing a little more for Target than just swimwear, as he said. (Oh, Rogan, you cheeky monkey.) But! The line is still using 100% organic cotton, which is super-exciting; it's nice to see 'green consciousness' seeping into the mainstream, and hopefully it will pave the way for greener, longer-lasting initiatives to take root. Fashion-speaking, some people don't seem too excited by a 'safari-inspired' casual line which also features a lot of animal prints, but personally I like the indie Jane Goodall urban-explorer vibe and all the plaid-y things, which I'm periodically a sucker for. Most people will be able to pick a few pieces and integrate them into existing wardrobes, unless of course your aesthetic is "super-frilly cupcake princess" -- that might be a little harder to work with. We took a pic here from the always with-it nitrolicious, but you should take a gander over there for more images, and check out the ad below, which comes from Manila Fashion Observer.

+ Posted by Katin Fashion | Permalink | Stumble This! | Digg This! |

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