Recycled Fashion Show at Portland Airport: Junk To Funk

The Pacific Northwest has given us many gifts—everything from Starbucks to Project Runway: Season 5 Winner and fashion design college Alumna Leanne Marshall. Another thing they're known for? Recycling. (Ever been to McMenamins? They recycled an old school into a hotel!)

Raising awareness about the amount of trash we generate is a huge deal and right now there is an amazing fashion display at the Portland Airport bringing this point home. It's called "Junk To Funk." I recently passed through PDX and wanted to share this display with you. Fantasticly "trashy" couture!

ReBrewed by Adrienne Duckrow
Made from used coffee filters from a local coffee shop

Love the texture of the filters.

Chastity Blinds by Jen LaMastra
Mini blinds found at a construction re-use shop

Anna Logue by Kristin Olson-Huddle
Records, duffle bag, bed skirt, cassette tape—all found at garage sales, "free piles" and a thrift store

Alatto Gelatto by Emily Hyde
Gelato serving cups and spoons collected from the trash cans at a local gelato shop

My Kitty's Business Suit by Cheryl Lohrman
Recycled plastic kitty litter bags

Junk to Funk: Working collectively to inspire individuals toward responsible consumerism, creative reuse and conscientious disposal through unique fashion-based education and entertainment.

Fashion, Giddyup Style

Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to meet Colette Jones, a bonafide Western-style fashion designer. I'm in Winthrop, Washington for 49er Days, a story in and of itself. But, I digress. I'm here to talk about fashion.

Colette grew up on a cattle ranch and began showing horses at a young age. She started out sewing up horse-showing jackets for herself, then friends and before long she launched Giddyup Tailored Western Wear.

The line has everything from tops and jackets to pants and chaps. The pieces are showy. Notice the use of rhinestones and gold studs in this jacket.

She draws inspiration from retro rodeo cowgirls. She made this leather belt by hand and had it hand-painted by a local artist.

 

Check out Colette's blog to see how she takes her sketch below to the final product.

  
 

The green movement is strong in the state of Washington and Colette is tuned into it. She incorporates retired cowboy lassos into her accessories line. She finds the lasso makes a strong strap for her hand-made leather bags. Interested in seeing one? I'm sure Colette would love to show you. You may contact her at colette@giddyuptailoredwesternwear.com.

And as they say in the Ol' West...happy trails!

--Gigi Hooghkirk

Earth Day = Eco-Fashion Discounts

April 22 is Earth Day. Time to celebrate dirt, rocks, trees, animals, plants...and eco-fashion!

Joining in the festivities are several earth-friendly lines offering wallet-friendly discounts today! All deets below. We love you Earth!

Spreegirl -- supercute, supersoft bamboo sleepwear. 25% off today. Just enter "earthday25" at checkout.

 

Canopy Verde -- handbags made of organic cotton and bamboo blend fabric, chrome-free leather, OEKO-TEK 100 certified dyes, and chemical-free embroidery. They even use recycled plastic in their packaging. Save 20% off all their bags today. Enter "ecolover" at checkout.

 

Erge -- cute line of comfy hoodies, tanks, and tops with a fab eco-collection. Save 30% off all eco pieces. Enter "ED2009" at checkout.

 

Happy eco-shopping!

--Gigi Hooghkirk

The Natural Look

Beauty Seekers, this year we saw the natural look strut down the runway from Julian MacDonald to Marc Jacobs. I took the liberty of scoping out a few natural buys on Sephora.com to help guide you towards the natural look we all strive for. 

SPF Natural Sunscreen by Bare Escentuals $28

SPF is essential when your having fun in the sun. This portable screen has a leak-proof brush and doesn't clog pores or cause breakouts. I always hear good things about Bare Escentuals and how the powder make-up gives a natural glow. It is also packed with vitamins which we can never get enough of!

Earth Day Essential Kit $48 ($98 dollar value)

Since we are still celebrating the earth this month, I decided to throw in this Earth Day Essential Kit in. Kits are always great because you get a little more than you would if everything was bought separately. 

The kit contains:

- 100% Organic Argan Oil (3-5 uses)
- 0.14oz Plumping Lip Gloss in Daring (sheer shimmering      rosy nude)
- 0.12oz Cream Blush in Sunrise (soft pink)
- 0.17oz Mascara in Black
- 0.04 oz Eye Liner in Black

Green Apple Peel $45

Part of the natural healthy look is keeping up with cleansing and exfoliating to get rid of dead skin cells. There are many options to choose from when exfoliating, this is one option that Sephora has which is also one of their best sellers. Most reviews from users give it two thumbs up. This Green Apple Peel is certified with organic fruit juices and raw cane sugar. It helps improve skin tone, texture, color, and boost healthy cells. 

- Arali Melendez

Green Tip of the Week - Ride a Bike

Fashion Club is celebrating Earth Month with tips that'll help you reduce your carbon footprint. Look for a new Green Tip of the Week every Friday.  --Angel

TIP #1
Headed to a friend's house this weekend?  Keep your car parked and ride your bike instead.  Leaving your car at home just twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds a year!

Green Goods

Yesterday you had to wear green so you wouldn’t get pinched. But today it’s all about being green so our environment doesn’t get pinched—or smacked, punched and drop-kicked! April 22 is Earth Day and as you gear up to celebrate, we’ve picked a few “green” fashion pieces to help get you in the mood.

Sunglasses made from real wood – sustainably harvested wood, that is.
Wood sunglasses, $350, iWood, thegreenloop.com.

The message here is purrrfectly clear.
“Recycle Fashion…Wear Vintage” Hello Kitty T-shirt, $30, Public Library, boutiquetoyou.com.

“Save your trees, air, dolphins, rainbows, flowers, plankton, ponds, grizzly bears…” and the list goes on and on.
My Earth Tote, $17, Roxy, roxy.com.

--Gigi Hooghkirk

Stylish, Eco-Friendly Coffee Cup

It's not something you wear, but the "I Am Not A Paper Cup" porcelain cup with silicone cover is certainly a cool fashion accessory.

It looks just like the cups we get from a coffee shop and throw away (and, as someone once said, "Where IS this 'away,' anyway?")

If you want one for your own, look here. --Belissa

Project Runway: Grass is Always Greener

Last night's episode of Project Runway, "Grass is Always Greener" showcased the remaining designers ability to work with eco-friendly fabrics. The challenge seemed simple enough: create a cocktail dress designed for your model. The twist? The models went fabric shopping alone without any time to caucus with their designer! This led to a fairly disastrous runway show featuring many very short, very shiny monstrosities.

The guest judge for this episode was Oscar nominated actress and environmental activist, Natalie Portman.

Florida based designer, Kenley and Ohio based designer, Suede claimed the top two spots in the challenge with their cocktail numbers. Suede was the ultimate winner, but instead of immunity, his ballerina-inspired design will be sold on Bluefly.com!

While one of our beloved FIDM Grads, Kelli, made it through the challenge unscathed, the other wasn't so lucky. Lovely Leanne landed herself in the bottom two with a dress that the judges remarked was reminiscent of Peter Pan. But, it was fellow hideous brown fabric designer, Wesley, who was Auf'd. There was nothing salvageable about his design.

Two of my personal favorite designs belonged to New York designer, Jennifer and Washington designer, Blayne. I feel that Jennifer's Grecian style a-line dress and Blayne's super chic pink number were definitely underrated. I also feel there was a whole lotta hideous that slid by the judges watchful eyes. (You know who you are!)

Let's just hope next week's episode "Bright Lights, Big City" is somewhat less of a train wreck. The episode boasts guest judge Sandra Bernhard, noted stand-up comedian, actress, singer, and author. This episode will challenge the remaining designers to use New York City as their inspiration.

Until Then, Stay Tuned and Stay Fashionable!

-- Alaythia

EcoStiletto Launch Party In L.A.: Newsletter Subscribers Are Invited!

EcoStiletto is an about-to-launch weekly newsletter that "delivers the lowdown on how to reduce your carbon footprint from a ginormous Ugg to an oh-so-slender Manolo."

There are weekly articles on eco-friendly fashion, beauty, and lifestyle picks.

It's free, and puts you in the know about discounts, eco-swag, and go-to green events.

The Party: Tuesday, July 15th from 6-9 p.m. at Ecco Hollywood, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

Hybrids valet park free!

Go to EcoStiletto.com and sign up for the newsletter, then RSVP to Info@EcoStiletto.com or call 310-694-0698 for more info. --Belissa

FIDM Students Create Dress from Fiji Water Bottles

Fiji water is busy promoting the recycled dress created from Fiji water bottle labels by FIDM San Francisco Grads Elaine O'Malley and Lisa Fullerton for the recent Discarded to Divine event. The pix above are from the Green with Envy Fashion Experience in West Hollywood where the designers posed with a model in the Fiji dress they created. --Kim