Ethical and Eco Fashion Updates

There seems to be so much going on with ethical and eco fashion and so many affordable ethical fashion brands at the moment, I just wanted to share with you some of the stuff that I am really excited about

ASOS Africa for Autumn Winter 2011

I am really loving the new ASOS Africa collection which comprises of a  number of pieces which are perfect for everyday wear. The designs feature rich tones combined with utilitarian inpsired neutral pieces, bold African inspired prints and some fun quilted pieces. If budget usually puts you off ethical fashion collections, you should definitely check this out as it is very reasonably priced.

Orla Kiely for People Tree

If you are a print-a-holic like me then you may well be a fan of the London based designer Orla Kiely. She has interesingly just released a collaboration with People Tree full of some very desirable pieces including cosy knitwear, trench coats and fifties style dresses in lovely warm autumn tones. I love the attention to detail including hand embroidery. My favourite piece is the beautiful mustard yellow trench coat.

Oxfam Street Style Contest

I regularly buy clothes from Oxfam online. It is quicker and easier than trawling the local charity shops and also has a great selection of both second hand and vintage pieces. With the current situation in East Africa, it is also a good way to support a charity which provides so much aid and development work in these regions. I was really excited to see that they currently have a streetstyle competiton running. You can send a picture of your streetstyle fashion featuring one Oxfam piece to them via Twitter and will recieve a 10% off voucher code. The winner will be featured on the Oxfam blog and get a voucher to spend on the site. I am definitely going to give it a go!

30% Off Made Satchels

Satchels seem to the most on trend style of bag for this autumn and winter but are also a classic look that will never go out of fashion. Made is an organisation which produces Fairtrade accessories in its workshops in Kenyan. Until 11th September, they have 30% off their range of satchels made from sustainably sourced African leather. The largest bag is big enough to fit a laptop. (Made also have some very lovely jewellery).

Free tickets for Vintage fashion Fair London

The next Vintage Fashion Fair London will be held on 11th September in Primrose Hill. There are a limited number of free tickets available from  www.freehairstyles.us/. I can definitely recommend it, I went in July and got myself a lovely 1960's lace dress which I will be featuring in an outfit post soon. There is a great selection of affordable and designer pieces and the stallholders are both friendly and knowledgable.

That is it for now. Thanks for all the encouraging comments in my last post about Style Eyes Fashion Blog going green, I now feel really confident that I am making the right decision.

Breaking news: style is... has launched featuring over 140 sustainable fashion brands including ethical jewellery, fashion dress, vintage clothing, upcycled, organic and fairtrade fashion.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Style Eyes Fashion Blog Goes Green

You might have noticed that Style Eyes Fashion Blog has had a bit of an overhaul. This is just a small part of my plans for the blog over the next few months, but after much thought and consideration I have decided that Style Eyes should go green. Actually the design of the blog will stay pink but the blog will be branded more as a sustainable, eco and ethical fashion blog. I don't really plan to change what I post about that much.It will still feature outfits including charity shop, vintage and ethical finds combined with some pieces from the high street, DIY and inspiration but I just want to spread the message that you can be fashionable and ethical and it doesn't have to cost loads of money.

Style Eyes Fashion Blog went green quite a while ago as I love fashion and blogging but found it difficult to justify to myself constantly posting about (and persuading others into) buying new things. You can read more about the transition in my post for IFB How to green your fashion blog. If you read regularly, you might notice that many of my clothes are charity shop, vintage, ethical and second hand, but I was a little scared of actually marketing myself as ethical, eco and sustainable for two reasons. Firstly I thought it might scare off some of my readers as they might have no interest in eco fashion  and secondly I thought I would be wrong to call myself a green/ ethical blog if I didn't post only about clothes or outfits that were completely eco friendly or from ethical brands.

I have decided to go for it now though as I would rather be upfront and honest with my readers that this blog is about fashion but in the most sustainable way possible. I am hoping that those who visit my blog regularly will continue to do so and enjoy my posts. I will sometimes feature items that are not second hand, vintage or from ethical brands, afterall I do my best but I am not perfect. But my overall shopping will always be about buying clothing that will last as opposed to fast and throwaway fashion. I hope for the blog to help and inspire people to make changes to the clothes they wear and the way they shop but by no means expect anyone to completely change to an entirely ethical and sustainable wardrobe.

So I would be really interested to know what you think? Would you be put off reading a fashion blog that is branded as green/ ethical? Do you think it is acceptible to write a green fashion blog when not all of my clothes are strictly speaking green?

What sort of posts are you most interested in reading?

Thanks in advance for your feedback

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Do You Struggle To Find Stylish Eco Friendly Shoes?

Whilst my wardrobe is becoming increasingly green as I often opt for second hand and vintage clothes over new and have managed to find a few ethical fashion labels with clothes that I love, shoes has always been a difficult area for me when it comes to converting to a completely green wardrobe. The reason being is that I just don't want to buy second hand shoes and there hasn't (in the past) been as much choice out there for eco shoes. I am not prepared to compromise on style as I feel really strongly that the shoes you choose to wear can make or break an outfit.

One place that I have been quite sucessful in finding eco friendly shoes that I really love is Spartoo. They have a great selection of eco friendly and ethical sandals, shoes and boots plus plenty of information on how the shoes are sustainable and what they are made from. What I also love about the eco brands that I have from Spartoo is that they are all amazingly comfortable aswell as looking good.

These Dream in Green sandals make a fun alternative to gladiators  for the summer. They are made completely from natural materials.

Greenfit makes beautiful shoes with a fifties influence, natural models and a wooden sole. Who says you can't get feminine stylish eco friendly shoes?

Think hand make make completely natural and ontrend shoes

I couldn't not mention Melissa, made from recyclable plastic with some fabulous designer collaborations including Vivienne Westwood. Keep your eyes peeled for the next collaboration reported to be Jason Wu.

I have a pair of Pikolinos shoes and can definitely vouch for the fact that they are super comfy and beautifully made. They are made using vegetable tanned leather which is a more eco friendly option than conventional leather. 

What do you think? would you buy eco friendly shoes?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Celebrate World Oceans Day With Eco Surf Wear

Happy World Oceans Day!

Today is World Oceans day, a global celebration of the worlds oceans and their conservation. World Ocean Day has been unofficially celebrated on June 8th each year since 1992 when it was proposed by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro. It is co ordinated globally by the Ocean Project and World Ocean Network. The purpose of the day is to honor the ocean and appreciate the key role it plays in our lives and the important ways that we  can help protect the worlds oceans.

Being by out of doors and enjoying the natural world is a great way and for me being by the sea is one of the best ways to do that and helps me to feel respectful of the beautiful world that we live in. I grew up by the sea and regularly sepnd my holidays by the sea in Cornwall near the surf beach of Watergate Bay. I have probably mentioned before that this is one of my favourite places in the world and being there last week made it easy for me to realise that there are some great eco  surf wear brands popping up. I spotted just a few in some of the local surf shops and wanted to share them with you as I love the laid back and colourful surfer styles.

Seasalt Cornwall

A family run business based by the sea in Cornwall, they were the first fashion brand to have clothing certified to Soil Association standards, they are also Winner of the 'Natural & Organic Awards 2010, UK's Best Organic Retailer and also the largest seller of Soil Association Certified product in the UK. They describe themselves as classic seaside cool.

Patagonia

A pioneers of ethical performance outdoor clothing, Patagnia has a whole range dedicated to surf wear. Patagonia not only make clothes to have a minimum impact in the environment but are also innovators in recycling and sponsor a number of environmental projects and campaigns.

Rapunui

This Isle of Wight based brand makes clothing from natural organic fabrics in a Fair Wear Foundation audited, wind powered factory. It is a fresh and young brand that is all about mixing eco with trend.

What do you like to wear on the beach?

Don't forget to check out more eco and ethical fashion in my directory.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Eco and Ethical Fashion Update

I have been known in the past (on numerous  occasions) to moan about the lack of affordable eco and ethical fashion available particularly on the high street. I still hold this view bit was really pleased to discover a few months back from Laura at For those about to shop that Marks and Spencers were launching a new eco and ethical fashion range.

The collection named Indigo Green is kind of a bolt on to their main Indigo collection which features stylish casual clothing based around denim and jeans for this summer the collection has a real seventies vibe. I have always loved M&S and whilst there clothes aren't always really 'trendy', I think they are usually very good quality for the price and they also do a great range of petite clothes. I tend to buy a lot of my basics from the Limited Collection and Autograph range but I have always wondered why (and been slightly annoyed) that they don't offer more eco fashion. The new collection is definitely a step in the right direction, whilst it is only small, it contains some great wardrobe essentials for summer 2011 including flared jeans and a maxi dress.

As I decided that I needed a pair of flared jeans for the summer and haven't been able to find any other affordable ethical or eco options, I decided to give Indigo Green a try and I am really pleased with the result. They offer two different choices slim boot jeans made from Tencel and Fairtrade cotton kickflare jeans both in three different lengths and costing just £25! I couldn't believe the price, this range is definitely affordable and best of all they fitted perfectly, you can see the kickflare jeans in my outfit in the last post. Here is the maxi dress which I loved from the collection.

Indigo Green Maxi Dress

Also, just a quick reminder that the next Vintage Fashion Fair is at Primrose Hill on Sunday. Vintage clothing is a great way to get a unique new outfit or accessories but is also really eco friendly. You can find more details on the website - Vintage London. There may be a few free tickets left which you can get from the website but hurry as they are going fast.

Have you spotted any other exciting eco or ethical collections. If so please share!

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

People Tree Bib Necklace and A Red Dress

I have had this red dress for ages but have always felt that it was lacking something. I got this beaded flower bib necklace from People Tree as an early present from my Mum and Dad and had planned to wear it with a black top or dress but somehow when I tried it on this just didn't seem to do it justice. Then suddenly it dawned on me the dress and the necklace would look great together. The bright colours really make the necklace stand out with its black border and the necklace just makes the dress look a bit more interesting.

Dress - Jackpot (really old)

Necklace - People Tree

Shoes - Bronx from Spartoo

What are you wearing today? I hope you are having a lovely Easter weekend.

with warmest wishes

Ceri X

Climate Week - Cool Outfits Challenge

Kimono Jacket - Ebay

Dress- Marks and Spencers

Belt- Next

Shoes - Topshop

You might have noticed that Friday marks the beginning of Climate Week in the UK . The environment is something that I feel quite strongly about and whilst I am by no means perfect, I try to be responsible and reduce my impact by reducing, reusing and recyling. This extends to my clothes. I know I buy far too many but where possible I choose second hand, vintage and eco fashion.

For climate week I have decided to set myself (and anyone who wants to join in) a little challenge. For the whole of Climate Week (21st -27th March) I plan to theme my posts and outfits around being kind to the environment. These will probably include layered outfits (allowing me to turn down the heating a few degrees), outfits including vintage, second hand and eco fashion and some reviews and news of eco fashion plus any other ideas tips on living sustainably.

If you would like to join in please send over the links to your own Climate week outfits and posts anytime during the week and I will feature them in a round up on Friday 27th (or maybe Saturday 28th). I look forward to seeing how you are joining in with Climate Week. You can also get some ideas on other ways to get involved including events and the official Eley Kishimoto climate week T shirt on the Climate Week website.

Above is a warm up outfit featuring a vintage kimono jacket that I bought on ebay.  I look forward to seeing your outfits and posts.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Michelle Lowe-Holder

The SS11 accessories collection by Michelle Lowe-Holder is called Summer Ribbon Reclaim which kind of gives a little bit of an idea of what it is inspired by and made from. It features a series of pieces made from folded and pleated ribbon which creates interesting shapes and textures. It consists of handcrafted pieces designed and made in the UK, from vintage materials. The attraction in these pieces lies in the extreme attention to detail combined with traditional craft techniques with a modern twist. The look is dramatic and edgy.

Whilst I get lots of emails about ethical and eco fashion brands and designers, I rarely blog about them because they just don't excite me enough to want to dedicate a whole post and my time to write about them. I really liked the Michelle Lowe-Holder collection not only because it uses recycled materials but because it is a bit different, interesting to look at and just the sort of thing that I would love to wear. I particularly love the necklace in the third picture and there is also a headband in a similar style on the website.

Michelle Lowe-Holder is not really a new name in the fashion world. She has been hovering away for some time just under the radar. After specialising in knitwear at London college of fashionn, she has had a few RTW collections. Between 2006 and 2010 she designed a number of collections for Topshop.

More recently though with the help of the London College of Sustainable Fashion she has begun to develop more of a focus on the antique or vintage detail. She was also awarded the New Generation Sponsorship by the British Fashion Council. Michelle Lowe -Holder will be at Estethica at London Fashion week if you happened to be going along,I think it is well worth a look.

Website - http://www.lowe-holder.com/

Friday Finds - Floral Dresses

Oh no my Friday finds is late again but seen as I am writing this at 5.30am (children huh) I consider it pretty lunch still Friday.

Over the last few weeks, floral dresses (and bags and blouses) have begun to become something of an obsession. First there was the D&G collections, how amazing is that, then I recieved a Cath Kidston catalogue which seems to have taken up residence on my desk for flicking through at every possible opportunity especially when my internet connection is going slow, which seems to be a fairly common occurence at the moment.

One of the great things about floral dresses for me is that I can buy as many as I like as I know they will get loads of wear and will be kept for many seasons to come. For me there are some things that never really go out of fashion and florals is one of those. So here are some of the gorgeous florals that I have found over the last few weeks.

The ultimate floral dress - I love this, the print, the colours and the shape! Mimosa Dress by D&G

Liberty Floral Jersey Tube Dress by Annie Greenabelle - you need to really look at this print up close to see how beautiful it is.

Reluxe Upcycled Cup Dress

Johann Earl Vintage Button Dress (XS) - Urban Outfitters



Spring Rose Orla Dress By Motel Vintage

Vintage Floral Dress At Oxfam

Cotton Floral Dress - Marthas Closet Vintage

Don't forget to check out my Ethical and eco fashion page for more places to buy beautiful clothes.

Have a lovely weekend

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Just to let you know that this post does contain some affiliate links.

Sustainable Clothing - Progress by the UK High Street and Online Retailers

At last LFW in February, I attended the fourth update for a Sustainable Action Plan for clothing launched by UK retailers and supported by the government. The Sustainable clothing Roadmap was set up by Defra involuntary initiative involving over 300 companies along the clothing supply chain and co-ordinated by Defra to provide a platform for an integrated approach to sustainable clothing throughout the sector.

I have a really strong interest in sustainable clothing and whilst there are some amazing eco brands and designers emerging at the moment, I believe that in order for sustainable clothing to become more mainstream and the majority of people to start buying more sustainability, changes need to be made at the high street, supermarket (and equivalent online retailer level) as well as the designer and higher end. I also love British high street clothing and think it would be great if there were more sustainable choices available making it easier, more convenient and more cost effective to choose the sustainable option.

The Sustainable Clothing Action Plan covers all sorts of initiatives from labelling to recycling, education and setting up greener factories and I think there have been some major steps forward in some of these areas. But for the purpose of this post I am concentrating on the actions which include introducing more sustainable choices for the consumer.

Marks and Spencers and Tesco's led the way with actions which included trialing new fibres such as bamboo,renewable plastics and extending the ranges of clothes made from sustainable fabrics like recycled polyester and organic cotton.

I decided to have a look at some of the most popular UK fashion retailers to to see what they are doing in terms of offering more sustainable choices and where they are now. I am not suggesting that these retailers are particularly good or bad as I guess there are those doing both better and worse than the ones that I have chosen to look at, I just wanted to give an overall picture of the progress so far.

Marks and Spencers

Currently not stocking any organic cotton or recycled clothing unless you count the organic cotton eco bags and an umbrella made from recycled polyester. They do however have 4 different styles of Fairtrade cotton t shirts. Really disappointed by this as Marks and Spencers was one of the leading names involved, was instrumental in setting up the 'Plan A' and is also such a key part of the UK high street.

Tesco

Tesco sell a range of organic cotton jeans by the brand Monkee Genes. They also sell 2 pieces of Fairtrade cotton clothing for women. This is fairly disappointing too as I had high hopes for Tesco following their collaboration with From Somewhere. This was obviously a one off.

ASOS

As a relatively new fashion retailer that is only online allowing it to react quickly to customers needs, it is perhaps not surprising that ASOS has made significant progress. They have their own Green Room selling ethical and sustainable clothing. The Green Room has a good selection of organic, Fairtrade and recycled clothes from a range of green brands including affordable Annie Greenabelle as well as their own ASOS Africa brand. The only issue is that sometimes it is difficult to work out from the website how the varying brands are ethical or eco friendly.

Urban Outfitters

Although they have very little in the way of organic cotton clothes, Urban Outfitters do have a Renewal collection which features some really on trend clothes include vintage, recycled and remade pieces. The collection currently includes some really desirable pieces including a leather skirt, floral baby doll dress and a remade trench coat.

So quite a mixed result. Those retailers that were really involved in the action plan at the beginning seem to have done very little (if anything at all) to increase the choice of sustainable clothing that they sell (please correct me if I am wrong). There are however some who are making a move in the right direction but there is still a long way to go.

I have looked at the DEFRA Website to see if there are any further details on what has happened so far in terms of increased sustainable choice in fashion, but I can't find anything recent to show that.

Is it just me? I am being impatient? did I just expect too much? It seems that over the last few years, countless small businesses have launched selling sustainable clothing and yet some of the bigger retailers haven't even launched a small line of organic cotton clothing yet. I am also always disappointed when I want to buy myself something new on the high street and I struggle to find anything that is made of natural materials as opposed to synthetics.

Your thoughts?

Ceri X

Chubby Pandas

You might have noticed that I have not posted on single post about NYFW or LFW. It is not a complete rebellion again designer fashion or trends for the season ahead, it is just that I haven't really had time to digest what is going on yet as I have been so incredibly busy with work. I do think that sites like style.com do such a good overview of the shows that there is very little I can add without some serious thought. I will get round to it when I am ready (based on current work load, might be next summer!).

So anyway I thought I would post in something a bit different for those who are suffering from fashion week overload. I first heard about Wiloh from Annie Spandex, if you haven't checked out her blog, you definitely should it rocks!

Wiloh is described as eco social apparel which makes a change from 'ethical fashion' which is a word that is really starting to bore me. Basically the site features t shirts made in collaborations with creative people around the world to help promote environmental and social awareness.

Whilst the idea is not really anything new, the level of creativity for this type of project is. The collection is small but very desireable. I am currently on the look out for great t shirts (I need a t shirt but it has to be special not just a plain old white one), these fit the bill perfectly.

My favourite is the Bamboo Panda one by Tokyo Candies, designer Rubens Cantuni who is inspired by, amongst other things tattoos, cartoons, Japanese culture, street art and pop art. Don't we all love a chubby panda! I also will be keeping my eye out for their new collection in October.

Friday Finds - Ethical Clothing in the Sales

I am going to keep this post fairly short and sweet as a large glass of white wine awaits me once I have finished writing. I dare not start drinking it now incase I loose all trace of will power and buy myself new clothes that I just don't need.

For those that do need some new clothes, I have spotted some great bargains in the sales on ethical clothes, because if you do have to treat yourself, buying ethical makes you feel so much better about it, no?

I'm afraid the calling of the glass of wine is preventing me from putting full details of prices and ethical credentials for each item. Each of the items has a great reduction and is also ethical in one way or another you can find out more by clicking on the links.


Choolips Printed Jumpsuit

ASOS Africa hand crocheted dress

Black Floral Ruched Waist Dress

Jackpot Lyna Navy Spotted Rain Mac Trench

Komodo - Alana Organic Fairtrade Top

Noir Aurelia Silk White Shirt

Goodone Navy Bodycon Jumper Dress

Do you every buy ethical clothes, if so what are your favourite brands? I would love to hear as my ethical fashion guide is slowing coming together and should hopefully be published soon.

Have a great weekend

Ceri X

That Beige Dress Again

Considering that I always say I am not a big fan of neutrals, this beige dress seems to be getting a lot of wear. This colour is just right for me, any lighter and I start to look pale and drained. I love the shape of this dress, it is so comfortable and doesn't even need ironing. I also love the many different ways that it can be accessorised.

Today I have accessorised with the Liberty scarf that I got at Vintage at Goodwood. I have also managed to get the red shoes that I have been wanting for ages. I needed a new pair of ultra comfy flats so I got these ones by Pikolinos in the sale. Pikolinos is a Spanish eco brand that uses artisan manufacture and combines 'style, comfort and respect for the environment'. They are definitely one of the best made and highest quality pair of shoes that I have ever owned and incredibly comfortable.

Do you have a piece of clothing that you end up wearing all the time?






Dress - By Sandwich at local boutique
Scarf - Vintage
Shoes - by Pikolinos at Spartoo
Cardigan - Matthew Willamson Collection at Debenhams


Have a great day

Ceri X

Ethical Beach and Swimwear

With holidays not too far away and the launch of the new beach wear collection by Katherine Hamnett, I have been thinking about ethical swimwear. Although swimwear is not something that most people buy much of, so not something you would necessarily consider going ethical with, I think every small thing we can do to help make fashion more ethical and eco friendly will make a difference. I also don't usually mind paying a little extra for swim and beach wear as even though there is not much of it, I practically live in it on holiday and so it needs to be flattering. I was quite surprised by the gorgeous swimwear that I found whilst researching this post and there is definitely some that I would buy, ethical or not. The only point that I would like to make is that you should check out the returns policy before you buy for any swimwear.

First up was the new Katherine Hamnett collection. The collection which is available on Yooxygen features 14 different pieces with the slogan save the sea. It is made from organic cotton and recycled polyester. It also feature both a his and her range. Most of the range is quite unexciting but I did like the silk dress in khaki green. Unfortunately at £122, I probably wouldn't risk wearing it to the beach. There was also a very nice vintage style one piece bathing costume but again at £128 a little beyond my budget.

Lalesso also make some great ethical swimwear that feature batik prints, made in Kenya under a Fair Trade scheme which supports communities. They are bright colourful and a great price. Lalesso is available on Fashion Conscience and a slightly larger selection on Lalesso Bazaar.

Aaron Chang is again available on Fashion Conscience and a surfer brand with bikinis made from either organic cotton or recycled plastic bottles. I love the unusual design on this bikini and the fact that it is reversible. It is probably my favourite of all the ethical swimwear because not only does not only is it a great colour with elephants on but it is also a great price (and in the sale at the moment).


Emobi is an Australian brand with some amazing bright bold retro print swimwear. The company uses sustainable practices and eco inks. This swimsuit along with a range of other swimsuits and bikinis is available on Fashion Conscience. It is quite pricey at £72 but I would definitely consider investing if visiting an exclusive resort (no such luck this year).