I had all sorts of ideas about what to include in todays Friday finds but every where I look at the moment, I see the most amazing red dresses, I love red dresses and want to buy them all so apologies now if this post is a bit red dress biased. I guess I am already getting festive. I am planning to get my Christmas shopping done in the next few weeks giving loads of time to artistically wrap each pressy and add little bows! Ok enough of the waffle and on with the finds.
Nomads Vintage Inspired Fairtrade Dress - another amazing party dress which would be so great for Christmas parties. This time in that fifties style that everyone is loving this season.
This post contains some affiliate links, (that means that I make a small percentage on any sales when you have clicked from this blog).
Have a lovely weekend and a not too scary Halloween!
Hope you are having a lovely Friday. I have been a bit lax with Friday Finds lately due to work being so busy but have saved up my favourites over the last few weeks so I hope you enjoy.
Printed Pencil Skirt by ASOS Africa - when it first launched, I wondered at first if the ASOS Africa range might only be the sort of summery clothes that I would wear on holiday but how wrong I was. I have just ordered this skirt and it is amazing (unfortunately I have had to send to back and get a slightly bigger size). It is really well made, beautiful rich colours, a great shape and it it lined making it quite thick for the winter - a definite thumbs up and I can't wait for my new one to arrive.
Organic Cotton Maxi Dress - I just love the simplicity of this dress by new eco label Fair and True from Fashion Conscience. The perfect combination of comfort and elegance. They also do a very nice organic cotton maxi skirt.
Velvet Party Dress - with Christmas only 9 weeks away, I can't help thinking about party dresses (as if I haven't got enough already) and I love the lady like style of this Tara Startlet forties style dress. I also love the colour - brown which is quite unusual for a party dress and makes a change to black.
Lilli Diamond Maxi Dress - this beutiful maxi dress was in the vintage collection at Urban Outfitters. I love the shape and I love the colours, it is quite pricey though.
Navy Floral Blazer - This is a great way to liven up a plain old pair of jeans. Although actually I don't often wear jeans so would probably end up pattern mixing it with a floral dress.
In the past I have always considered organic clothing as an expensive luxury and have never really got the point of it, seeing it as for people that have got more money than they know what to do with. I have never really even bought organic food as whilst I would love to receive the health benefits of doing so I can never really justify spending the money on it (except for the children when they were really little). Organic clothing does not seem to have any clear health benefits although it is though to be generally beneficial to those who suffer from eczema
Through some of the eco fashion writing that I have been doing over the last few years and information from organisations like the Environmental Justice Foundation (see the video above), I have definitely found myself being swayed to the organic clothing way of thinking. Of course I still think recycling clothes is the most eco friendly option, but there are times when only a fresh new top will do, second hand clothes shopping can take time and you can't always get what you want. Organic clothing which is mainly made of organic cotton is a much more environmentally option than conventional cotton. The problem with conventional clothing is the large amount of pesticides that need to be used in its cultivation. Not only are these pesticides damaging for the environment but the pests also build up a resistance to them, meaning that an increasing amount is needed. This becomes financially unsustainable for the farmers eventually. As if that wasn't enough, there are some serious ethical issues connected with cotton production including the use of child labour in Uzbekistan for harvesting the cotton.
Even with all of these environmental and ethical considerations, buying organic alternatives can be difficult as not only is it more expensive bit there is a lot less choice than for conventional cotton and other non eco friendly options. This is improving all the time with labels like People Tree and Ascension making eco fashion more accessible and affordable.
Whilst organic cotton is a good alternative to conventional cotton, there is just not the capacity of production for it to completely replace conventional cotton. There is also Fairtrade cotton which does eliminate some of the ethical issues involved in cotton production. I have recently come round to the thinking that when buying organic or any other eco friendly clothes, it does not have to be an all or nothing approach (as in most cases it would just end up being nothing). It is OK to mix and match as this is a step in the right direction and is helping the eco fashion industry to grow and hopefully improve in choice and price.
I have also recently began trying to buy quality to clothes that will last. This is where organic clothing really works for me as whilst you often do pay slightly more the quality is usually a bit better than some of the high street clothes. I don't feel at the moment that I can commit completely to buying eco fashion or organic clothing. Sometimes I do see just what I need in conventional cotton at the right price, but if I try and checkout the eco fashion retailers first before looking at others, I am probably much more likely to end up buying it. There are also a whole raft of other eco friendly alternatives to organic cotton including recycled materials, bamboo, hemp and organic wool, I have yet to try out any of these but will be keeping my eye out for new and exciting labels using these alternatives.
OK my long and rambling post is almost over, for those who prefer visual posts as opposed to loads and loads of words, I though I would share some of my favourite organic cotton pieces for the summer.
What do you think? Do you bother buying organic cotton or any other eco fashion?
Another of the designers that caught my eye at Estethica at London Fashion Week was Henrietta Ludgate. I love the sculpted shapes created by the fabrics made from English woven cashmere with mink, pure Scottish wool and super fine Yorkshire wool jersey. I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked the neutral greys and camels or the shocking pink the best. But I think the grey dress with a super low scooped back was definitely my favourite piece in terms of shape. The collection was inspired by enchanted forests and legendary tales including the Grimm's Fairy tales. These clothes look so cosy but in an elegant and sophisticated way. It is almost as if they have been moulded into a cocoon shape.
Based in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Henrietta Ludgate uses fabrics produced by UK mills and produces her collections locally. I can't think of any better way to support the UK farming, textiles and fashion industry. She only uses natural and organic fibres in her clothing. She was recently awarded the Ethical Fashion Forum's 'Fashion Innovation Award' for LFW Spring Summer 2010.
