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Issue Date: March 5, 2006
Eco-fashion goes haute couture
Eco-conscious fashion has gone from hippie to hip. As the list of sustainable fabrics grows -- materials from soybeans, wood pulp and even bamboo -- so does the popularity of eco-embracing designers.
"People want more than a label. They want a back story so they can feel good wearing the outfit," says clothing designer Linda Loudermilk, whose clients have included Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio. Loudermilk's line ($90 to $1,500), which will be featured in her own luxury "green" retail store along L.A.'s trendy Melrose Avenue later this year, includes trousers cut from linen-like sasawashi, made from a Japanese leaf, and fleecy jackets fashioned from a blend of recycled soda bottles and cotton (reported to feel like sheepskin).
Another L.A. designer, Carol Young, of Undesigned, blends organic cotton from recycled T-shirts in her urban nomad clothing ($100 to $275). And Denver's Potential Fashions creates ready-to-wear and custom couture ($40 to $600) from "repurposed" (recycled) materials such as fur, leather and denim. A-list stars like Cameron Diaz and Rosario Dawson are fans of Stewart+Brown ($46 to $850) apparel that uses organic cottons, surplus fabrics and hand-knit Mongolian cashmere. "Consumers have put organics on and into their bodies for years. Now it's a lifestyle," says Stewart+Brown's Howard Brown.
"It's all about sustainable style," adds Sara Cross, founder of coolnotcruel, an eco-friendly women's line ($80 to $250). See her wares and other "green" lifestyle brands at thegreenloop.com.
-- Laura Daily
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Undesigned: Genart
At long lash
Lips. Backs. Waists. Legs. Shoulders. Just when you thought they'd run out of body parts to flaunt, designers went Twiggy on us -- with flagrantly false eyelashes. Everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Jessica Simpson is aflutter about the look suiting spring's ladylike silhouettes. "There's nothing more feminine, flirtatious or fun," says celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal.
"I owe my career to false lashes," says Gina Brooke, artistic director for Shu Uemura, which offers more than 30 choices of lashes -- from subtle black to showgirl metallic pink. "They're the makeup artist's best-kept secret. They make the eyes wider and more dramatic. They're an instant face-lift."
Among false lashes' fringe benefits is variety, from Andrea's individual lashes applied with tweezers to Revlon's and MAC's full-on faux. Others, like Vincent Longo and Sonia Kashuk, sell half-sets worn at the upper lid's outer edge, à la Sophia Loren. For those who want to lash out longer than a day, big-city salons offer eyelash extensions glued to the lash line that last for up to two months and cost between $300 and $500.
-- Michele Meyer
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