What: Woven Necklace & Bracelet

Where: Woven Necklace, current bid – $65. Woven Bracelet, current bid – $45. Act fast – this auction ends September 11, 2010!

Why We Love It: We have long been fans of DLC Brooklyn (Dirty Librarian Chains) and the marvels they create by reconfiguring, deconstructing, draping, knotting and tangling of their vintage, recycled jewelry finds (ahhh to comb through their ‘library’ of rediscovered gems…). So we were excited to see their latest collaboration with vintage online marketplace, Market Publique. Some of their vintage finds are just too perfect to alter, so for this limited edition collection they left the pieces as they found them.

This gorgeous woven set is definitely our favorite, evoking images of Liz Taylor as Cleopatra…. Made of delicately braided fine wires woven into a thick herringbone weave they’ve got a mesmerizing shimmer. Love that they are such substantial pieces yet simple enough to go with anything from t-shirts to the little black dress.

collar necklace

What: Ana Peep-Toe Shootie

Where: Amazon.com – $145 in inky blue or in tan at Piperlime

Why We Love It: Yes, we’ll admit we were at first skeptical about peep-toe booties, wondering when they’d be appropriate, but now we wonder how anyone could live without a pair of blue (or tan) suede ‘shooties’… Turns out they are incredibly versatile. Pair with jeans, leggings, trousers and go with or without stockings in just about any season (rain and snow are admittedly tough). The soft pleats of the 100% chrome free suede lend a sophisticated edge.

And you don’t have to worry about wrestling to get your feet in, the side zipper allows for easy slip-on and the extra room in the footbed makes them quite comfortable for wider feet. A biodegradable latex foam comfort system adds cush and the recycled cork non-slip outsole keeps feet secure. The generous 2.5″ inch heel is made of sustainable bamboo and it’s all held together with water soluble glues and cements for a more eco-friendly alternative.

Naya, a member of the Brown Shoe Company which also owns Dr. Scholls, Buster Brown, and Via Spiga, is committed to using natural and eco-friendly materials whenever possible to create a collection of shoes that look good, feel good and are better for the planet than traditionally manufactured shoes. They use vegetable-tanned leathers, natural or recycled content fabrics, water-based cements, footbeds containing natural cork and outsoles containing natural. Even their packaging is eco-conscious with boxes composed of 80% recycled paper pulp, soy-based inks and water-based glue and reusable shoe bags and shoe forms made with recycled PET.

NAYA

Who:

What: MCS Organic T-shirt

Where: Rapanui – £24.95 (approx. $37USD), in blue or charcoal

Why We Love It: We were psyched to learn about Rapanui, an eco-surf wear company founded in 2008 by brothers Rob and Martin Drake-Knight.  We love their graphic designs, like this MCS t-shirt with a collection of marine animals swimming in unison to create silhouettes of sharks; we love that 50% of the proceeds of the sale of this t-shirt is donated to the Marine Conservation Society; but most of all we applaud the brothers for their transparency and for the role models they have become in transforming the clothing industry and the way that consumers think about clothing.

The brothers are true advocates for change in the clothing industry by adopting a more sustainable, socially and environmentally responsible business model. Each garment has a  traceability record where consumers can follow the entire lifecycle of their garment from the fields to the factory to the shelves.  So you can see that the MCS t-shirt, for example, is made of organic cotton grown on a plantation in India that is then transported by camel to a nearby Fair Wear Foundation audited, wind powered factory where it is made into jersey fabric and embroidered and then trucked off to the U.K. where it is printed with water-based inks and hand-finished.  It’s so rare, and yet so important, to see and understand the road that our clothing travels.

Who:

What: Calypso Canvas Wedge

Where: TOMS – $69. With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.

Why We Love It: We soo wanted to embrace TOMS classic canvas shoes, but it was a style that we just couldn’t pull off (although they are super cute for kids!).  So we were so psyched to see their new summer collection with this timeless summer wedge. Love the stripes, the rounded toe, the shape and the TOMS One for One emblem on the back.

They made of natural canvas uppers with an EVA insole and a soft suede insert with jute rope detailing on the heel. They are quite comfortable, breathable and the suede help keeps feet from slipping in the summer heat, but the heel height, at a teetering 3 1/4”,  is certainly not for “quitters.” They do fit snug at first, but over time mold to your foot. And they are selling out fast!

We’ve admired TOMS since they started back in 2006 introducing their One to One concept – for each pair purchased a pair of shoes would be donated to child in need – as a means to create a sustainable business that ‘does good.’  So far TOMS has donated over 600,000 shoes to children around the world.  Which is incredibly powerful when you consider that a pair of shoes means protection from soil-transmitted diseases and infections which can have life altering effects in both health and education, and in many cases these are the first pair of shoes these children have ever owned.  Who knew the power of a shoe?

If you aren’t in the market for a pair of shoes, consider donating your gently used shoes to Souls4Soles who have distributed over 10 million shoes to people in over 125 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States.

Who:

What: Matt and Nat Yacht Studded Envelope Bag

Where: Eco-Tobi – $205 $153, in black or bone

Why We Love It: We’ve held out long enough on the heavy metal/zipper trend, but after seeing this Matt and Nat bag we are ready to throw in the towel. The studded bag has all the features we’ve be looking for. It’s got the slim profile of a clutch with the volume of a satchel and plenty of pockets for stowing those must-haves. It’s incredibly versatile -  it comes with a long detachable chain link shoulder strap for hands-free ease,  a shorter strap for a more tucked tote and you could go without a strap and you’ve got an oversized clutch. And of course, this bag comes complete with the vegan and style factor we’ve come to expect from Matt and Nat.

It’s made of vegan ‘leather’ (a.k.a. polyurethane) with a 100% recycled faux suede lining (made from 13 recycled plastic bottles) and antique brass hardware. The lining on the black bag is aqua and pink on the bone colored bag.
Some of our other Matt and Nat studded obsessions: Laroux Mini Stud Crossbody | Scrilla Studded Shopper | Varela Studded Messenger

Here are some of our favorite convertible dresses:

Donna Karen – The Infinity Dress in refined matte jersey – transforms easily from a capsleeve dress with a twist to a one shoulder dress to a drape halter dress to a crossed halter dress to a strapless dress to cap sleeve dress. Bloomingdale’s – $995.

Butter by Nadia – an entire collection of convertible dresses in stripes and solids, knee length and floor length and they’ve just added a suite of convertible jumpsuits (soo wish we could pull those off!).  The fabric suits the name, buttery…  Average price $250 & up.

Lara Miller – one of the first to really embrace the concept of convertible clothing, she’s made convertible dresses, convertible tops, convertible sweaters and hers are made with eco-friendly fabrics. Donna Dress pictured – $275

Chadwick’s – Looking for a more affordable convertible dress? Chadwick’s has a convertible dress for $49.99 (click to buy) that can be worn four ways, even as a skirt. And for those fearless fashionistas they’ve got a chic convertible jumpsuit for $59.99 (click to buy)

What: Men’s Earthkeepers 2.0 Venetian Loafer

Where: Amazon – $74.95 – $90

Why We Love It: We had to include a pair of classic Timberland’s for the fellas too. These are super comfy, durable, maintenance free and only get better with age. In addition, they are members of an elite group Timberland’s eco-conscious Earthkeeper’s 2.0 collection. The soles contain 42% recycled materials, mainly scrap tires, the leather is from a tannery receiving a silver rating for its industry-leading water, waste and energy management. The lining contains 50% organic cotton.

Few companies consider what happens to their product at the end of its lifecycle and are only concerned really with the point of sale. Timberland’s 2.0 collection takes the eco-friendly design process one step further with a built in recycling program for their shoes. The shoes are designed to be disassembled at the end of its usefulness so that the components can be more easily recycled. 50% of the components of this loafer can be recycled and this is how:

To be recycled, Timberland® Earthkeepers™ 2.0 footwear will first be taken apart. The worn out Green Rubber soles made of 42% recycled rubber will be sent to the Green Rubber factory to be ground up and de-vulcanized, ready to be made into something new.

The leather uppers on returned Earthkeepers™ 2.0 footwear will be used to make new footwear at Timberland’s own factory in the Dominican Republic. Polyester components will be recycled into new polyester products at Teijin in Japan, the only company that currently recycles polyester chemically. All removable metal hardware will also be reused or recycled.

Which means less material clogging our landfills, less materials manufactured and a greener shoe.

Available in Brown, Light Brown or Nubuck Navy.