The Ring's the Thing

Don't ya just love when you stumble upon a website that is right up your jewelery alley?! Well diamonds are a girls best friend right?

Just came across Bario-Neal, a small studio out of Phili that specializes in re-claimed metals, ethically soured stones and fluid designs that incorporate the best of contemporary and vintage style. Take a look...

With so many recent proposals over the holidays, perhaps you know a Little Miss Engaged and a Mr. Lucky shopping for that perfect bijoux???

And we love that so many of the ring designs are every day fabu. Take a few minutes and peruse their website- it's fascinating to read about Bario-Neal's sourcing and ethical practices. Two women creating super beautiful work. {don't know them, but wish we did}!

All photos via bario-neal.com

Clothing Made in the U.S.A. - Fall Picks

I thought this blog post would be a snap... a few shout outs for a few Fall fashion picks from a growing crop of clothiers manufacturing in the USA. Boy was I wrong. Turns out- there really aren't many clothes manufactured in the U.S. and I had to do a bit of digging.

Most of the clothing I did find all have something in common- heritage branding- companies with a long history, a family saga, a devoted interested in the working man (or woman) and a dedication to quality.

The entire concept of heritage branding is really another post, which we'll feature later. It goes beyond a seasonal pick and deserves more in depth coverage. In the interim- if you have a favorite clothing company - or even just a favorite shirt, jean, etc. post a comment. We'd all love to fill our closets with more threads that boast the label: Made in the USA.

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions to warm up this Fall...

The Portland Collection new from Pendelton launching Fall 2011

Glen Plaid Alicia Jacket - Pendleton- Portland, Oregon. Shadow-weave glen plaid fabric is woven in Pendleton USA Northwest mills. $258


Perfect Tee from Blue Canoe - San Francisco, CA. Rayon from organically grown bamboo, organic cotton and spandex. $52.95

Stronghold River Rinse indigo wash jeans by The Stronghold - Venice, California {cool website, worth a visit}

Harness Leather Road Boots- top grain hide, waterproof scuba liner. $298 at Orvis, Sunderland, Vermont

Dehen 1920 Motorcycle Sweater by Dehen- Portland, Oregon $295 at Woodlands



Made in Michigan Graphic Tee by Carhartt - Irvine, Kentucky $20

Stripe Cardigan by Centralia Knitting Mills - Centralia, Washington. Wool sourced in New England. $180 at Archival Clothing

Canvas cotton tote from Archival Clothing - Portland, Oregon. Waxed cotton canvas/unwaxed cotton duck. $150

Feed Handbags

Photo via stylelist.com

So glad to see that Feed Project's fab handbags received a shout out at Fashion Week!

These are great bags from a great company dedicated to feeding the hungry and donating to the needy- in our communities and across the globe.

From super practical [school meals + books] to uber fashionable [Judith Leiber] - cause fashion at it's finest. If you are not already familiar- jump over to their site and read more...

Photos via feedprojects.com

Fall Fashion on Ecouterre

After discovering ECOUTERRE, a serious eco fashion site, we got caught up watching video after video of the new collections recently previewed in NY at the Designers & Agents Show, and, during Fashion Week.

We love that eco fashion is transcending to an atelier and couture level. The line is blurring and even designs that remain true to their indigenous ethnic roots are reaching new heights of sophistication.

From lady like silhouettes and detail to casual comfort designs are as diverse as the inspirations they draw from. Take a look...

From the Green Room at Designers & Agents

Lady-like granola glam- love the collar, which is detachable.

Easy organic comfort from Anja


100% Recycled bag from Ecoalf


Indigenous pattern handwoven bag by Wayuu Taya






On a high fashion note- Edun at Fall Fashion Week in NY
Bono and wife Ali Hewson continue to amaze...

And more couture: The Future of Fashion from The GreenShows

Fashion, by design, is controversial as it represents conspicuous consumption and waste. It's great to see more focus and legitimate balance- many of these pieces re-use and have implemented augmented sustainable practices. Young companies positioning themselves to generate fundamental changes in the fashion industry are gaining ground, focus and ultimately just may achieve a shift in what now still seems an oxymoron- sustainable fashion.

All images and video links via ECOUTERRE- if you're a fashionista and haven't visited this site- it's a must!!

Country Living Fair 2010-REcycled Roundup

The Country Living Fair was all it promised to be: gi-normous crowds, a fantastic venue and despite a fair amount of country as usual, a lot of country creative. Plus, we were thrilled to see and uptrend and surprising amount of re-purposed product- you guessed it- country style. Below- a brief roundup of ther overall scene (sooo well done!) and a few stalls...

The Ohio Village is THE perfect place for this fair!


Below, Bloomsbury Loft recycles with a passionate finesse that is hard to beat... Chandeliers, fabric table clothes, pillows and all manner of re-purposed lovelies.

The Garden Patch from Smith's Grove Kentucky has become an annual highlight - their large booth features farm fresh and dried arrangements- locally grown and perfect to welcome Fall's splendor.

More fabric creativity- especially luv the vintage plaids

Platter pleasantries fabricated from glassware and plates

These gals from Kelly Lane hail from Ohio but have a bit of Texas kick- colorful cool clothing from a patchwork of fabrics.

One of several who blend bedspreads with draperies to create modern Scarlett O'Hara couture. A cool trend that began with baby and reached to upscale country luxe.

Here's hoping the Counrty Living Fair returns to Columbus in 2011 for another great run. You can watch a video here and if you missed it- check out the second round in Altanta in October!

It's Cocktail Time

This Friday our summer "Cocktail Time" spotlights a very cool venue in LA- Little Green Cocktail.

Launched just about a year ago this grouped is organized by Heather Knight, Pedram Sameni and Liya Brook. Here's their "story":

...

Small changes for a big impact

Little Green is a bi-monthly sustainability-themed cocktail party in downtown LA.

We explore gentle revolutions, knowledge and reflections. There are creative cocktails, inspirational talks and elegant guests galore!

Our focus is hot green topics and ideas relevant to Southern California. We aim to entertain and connect both the experts and the curious!"

...

Pretty simple right? And sounds super fun- wish we lived in LA!! This could be a great green social startup idea for your town, let us know if you have a similar gig. Or, if you are inspired and starting one. Cheers gals- have a cocktail for us!

.All images via littlegreencocktail.com

WHITE after Memorial Day- A-O.K.

Images via polyvore: net-a-porter.com, fashion-conscience.com, ascensiononline.com, econsciousmarket.com, barneys.com