Write your Christmas Wish List with Vivienne Westwood...

By Lorna

Great news Westwood fans (of which I’m sure there are plenty!) the brand has just launched a quintessentially English range of eco-friendly stationary. The range includes a 2011 diary and hardback notebooks bound in silk and printed with Westwood signature prints. The stationery is produced in Italy and made from recycled paper. The A4 notebook is particularly chic printed in vintage Anglomania Union Jack Design and featuring a gold Westwood orb logo at the top of each black leaf. It is also available in the iconic Squiggle print in red and grey colours. The diary is available in yellow tartan. A lovely eco Christmas present, the notebooks retail at £25 and the diary at £35. Happy writing…

You can check out the full stationary collection in Vivienne Westwood stores and online here

Facts: Vivienne Westwood, Eco Stationary, Recycled, Christmas Presents

Eco Party Dresses: Prepare to drop jaws in Dazzling Dior!!

By Lorna

A couple of weeks ago I set myself the challenge of finding lots of perfect Christmas party dresses. My intention was to provide you with a multitude of stunning cocktail dresses (all ethically made of course) which you could rock with glowing pride for your work Christmas party’s. I’ll be honest... its not been an easy task. Whilst everyday chic looks are something the ethical fashion pack are great at, proper party dresses seem to get a bit overlooked. Perhaps this is because as we strive to be more ethical in our lives, the idea of buying an expensive dress to wear once and then have it relegated to the back of the wardrobe does seem a tad at odds.

This is why I am super excited to tell you about my first find! It’s an AMAZING resource for eco fashion savvy girls wanting a taste of iconic fashion history. Lucy in Disguise established this summer by Lilly Allen and her sister is a beautiful store, which claims to have  ‘more drop dead gorgeous gowns than you could shake a feather bower at!’  We at EcoGoddess likee!

Lilly and her sister, Sarah Owen share a love of fashion, sourcing and hording vintage finds and have put their talents to excellent use! In Lucy In Disguise you can find everything from whichever decade you choose! Beaded flapped dressed from the 20s, 30s evening gowns, 40’s tea dressed, 50s prom dressed, Ossie Clark and Biba from the 60’s and 70’s, sequins and sparkle from the 70’s and 80’s... this really is a vintage wardrobe from heaven!

Their aim is to make vintage style attainable and to bring the highest quality pieces of iconic fashion history direct to the customer for their special night out. In hiring a piece of fashion history everyone can afford to look a million dollars!!!

There is also a lovely video of girls getting ready for a night out (which we all know is half the fun!) on the website, watch it by clicking here.

Calling all EcoGoddess’s -please email us pictures of your best Vintage looks at ecogoddess@live.co.uk

FACTS: Vintage, Hire, Lilly Allen, Christmas Party, Dresses, Biba, Ossie Clark, Yves Saint Laurent, All Photos by Rankin.

Bbbrrrrrrr....wrap up this Christmas with gorgeous knitwear

by Naomi

In my opinion sexy boots and scrumptious knitwear are two of the most important fashion saviours in the cold weather, and as Lorna has so wonderfully covered the former below, I am here to bring you a delightful selection of the latter. Warning: you will want to purchase and wrap up in all of these!

There is something eternally girly about bows - I can't get enough of them! 

Hand-Knitted Bow Scarf by Emmadime, £30 from Miki Organic.

Camilla Norrback Trompe L'Oeil Bow Jumper Dress,  £60 from Fashion Conscience.

Alpine prints are really hot...and these will keep you warm! Plus, they can't help but make you feel festive (and want a cameo in Wham's Last Christmas video...or is that just me?!)

Nordic Vintage Tunic by Lowie, £210.

Nordic Vintage Fingerless gloves by Lowie, £38.

Nordic Vintage earmuffs by Lowie, £38.

People Tree Fairisle Fair Trade Cardigan £92.

Last but by no means least, no-one can feel the winter blues whilst wearing a cape - it defies the laws of science...or at least the laws of wonderful knitwear.

Hooded Cable Cape by Lowie, £178.

Faux Fur Collar Cape by Tara Starlet

Facts: gorgeous organic, eco and ethical knitwear by Emmadime, Camilla Norrback, Lowie, People Tree and Tara Starlet. Perfect for winter!

Christmas Party Dresses.... Eco style!

By Lorna


EEEkkss!!!! I just got an email saying 'Work Christmas Party... 10th Dec, Dresscode - GLAM'. Which, since I work in Fashion, leads me to the eternal girly question..  'What the hell am I going to wear!!??' I want to look beautiful, sophisticated, glamourous and stay true to my ethics. I will therefore spend the next couple of weeks attempting to find the perfect Work Christmas Party dresses which will let us show off our Ecogoddess curves in style, whilst promoting our eco fashion expertise to our colleagues. Wish me luck...

Best of the Boots...

By Lorna

Yes Ecogoddesses, it's that time of year when even if the sky looks okay in the morning by the time you come to leave the office/Uni/day job in the evening the tide could have turned and you could be wading through puddled streets with squelching socks! Depressing, eh!? well... it would be if you hadn't invested in the most BEAUTIFUL WINTER BOOTS you had ever seen! Think about it, even if you are sloshing through what feels like pavement tidal waves, just looking down at your new boots make you smile!! : ) This is the way I felt about a pair of boots I bought last year from eco shoe masters WHERE. I have worn them endlessly... so much so that I am now anchoring for a new pair of on trend weather proof boots so I can alternate. This desire resulted in me scouring the internet to share with you my top finds for the best winter boots!


Stopping the rain at no 1: BOURGEOIS BOHEME - VEGAN BLACK PATENT KNEE HIGH BUCKLE BOOT £120

Putting a spring in your beautifully veg tanned leather clad step at no 2: Its the LANA boot from TERRA PLANA (with brand new non-toxic biodegradable gel pad for superior comfort!) AT £220

Stepping up the style ranks at no 3: NEU AURA- SUNBIRD OVER THE KNEE BLACK VEGAN BOOTS at £222.00

Availability: In stock.

PLEASE SPECIFY THE FOLLOWING DETAILS :

Keeping toes toasty at no 4: NEU AURA -BLACK VEGAN RIDING BOOTS at £156

Sustainable wooden soles at no 5: SANITA - AYA CONE ANKLE BOOT at £149

Winner of the style stakes at no 6 (not as practical!!): NINA DALCETTI- BEV 

Click on the description below for a link to the shoe of your wintery dreams....

BOURGEOIS BOHEME- VEGAN BLACK PATENT KNEE HIGH BUCKLE BOOT at £120
TERRA PLANA- LANA BOOT AT £220 

NEU AURA- SUNBIRD OVER THE KNEE BLACK VEGAN BOOTS AT £222.00
NEU AURA - BLACK VEGAN RIDING BOOTS at £156
SANITA - AYA CONE ANKLE BOOT at £149
NINA DALCETTI - BEV 


Facts: Winter boots, Ethical, Vegan, Puddle Proof, Veg tanned leather, sustainable soles, toxic free biodegradable gel inserts, Bourgeois boheme, Terra Plana, Neu Aura, Sanita, Nina Dalcetti

She Died Of Beauty.

By Lorna

At Eco Goddess, we love it when we see famous models using their positions on global beauty pedestals to promote chic ethical fashion. Erin O’Connor has always been a model that supports smaller brands and issues she believes in but she has now taken it one step further... London Fashion Week 2010 saw the launch of a new brand designed by Erin and her long-standing friend, stylist Kate Halfpenny – She Died Of Beauty.

The range is a simple and concise collection of monochrome organic cotton typographic t-shirts and bags which play on the brand’s name. The inspiration behind the collection comes from the desire to make “a teasing yet affectionate tickle_ at the fashion industry we continue to love, honor and serve”.

The signature style of She Died Of Beauty is witty, purposeful and un-apologetic – in their own words,

“the very visual nature of fashion is to manipulate and exaggerate almost everything. We loved the idea of twisting a polite sentiment into a naughty yet, frivolously funny statement that we hope will appeal to all.”

The core brand philosophy is based upon ethically and organically sourced materials important to both Erin & Kate. All products are manufactured solely using sustainable energy generated from wind and solar power. “after all, there’s no reason why style and conscience can’t co-exist!”, say the design duo. Amen to that girls!!

From £20 per bag and £40 per t-shirt, you can check out all the styles here.

Facts: She Died Of Beauty, Erin O’Connor, Kate Halfpenny, Organic Cotton, T-shirt & Bags, LFW 2010.

Get your fill of eco style online!

by Naomi

Just a quickie to let you all know that we have been featured on a directory of eco fashion websites - woohoo!

Check it out here - there are lots of other amazing sites listed as well, so you can really fill your boots on eco style!

xx

Velvety skin - oui s'il vous plait!

by Naomi

On a recent excursion to stock-up on my favourite make-up, I was gutted to discover that my trustworthy, amazing and super-cheap mineral foundation had been discontinued. I am a bit of a drama queen and make-up addict so this was relatively big news in my world, particularly as it suited my skin perfectly.

Anyway, needs must so I set about trying to find a replacement. Given the number of mineral foundations available, this would have been quite simple, was it not for the fact that I have really yellow-toned olive skin that cosmetic companies don't seem to cater for. Shades of foundation and concealer seem to go from white through to dark orange with a few weird pink/orange shades in the middle. Anyway, rant over, I was unable to find a mineral foundation the right shade, and was just about to resort to donning a paper bag for the rest of my natural years when this caught my eye:

It's a new liquid foundation by Bourjois called Bio Detox Organic. It's Eco Cert, with 98% from natural origin and 21% organic ingredients.

I was a bit reluctant to return to using liquid foundation as I love mineral so much, but I have to say I was impressed with this. It gives a really smooth, velvety finish and isn't too heavy. It smells really fresh and didn't sit on top of my skin as much as other liquids I have tried before. I did need to finish it with powder as my skin is oily, but the colour was a perfectly acceptable and non-orange shade of beige, if a teeny-weeny bit paler than I would have liked (I used shade 54).

It's on special offer at the moment in Boots for around £10.99 and normally it is £13.99. It contains chlorophyll and claims to detoxify your skin. I have no idea what detoxified skin would look like, or how much use chlorophyll is in foundation, but it's worth a try on the previous merits alone.

I haven't taken any pics to upload yet, but I'm hoping to do some eco-beauty looks in the coming weeks, and will add this into the mix!

Facts: Bourjois Bio Dextox Organic liquid foundation: Eco Cert, 98% natural ingredients, 21% organic ingredients, fresh smell, velvety finish, available from Boots and Superdrug, RRP £13.99.

Ease yourself in with these festive treats!

by Naomi

If you are like me and have a humungous number of people to buy Christmas presents for, then preparation for Christmas cannot be left to a mad dash around the shops of Christmas Eve.

So, now is around the time when I begin to ease myself into Christmas present shopping, to try and make everything as stress-free as possible. I will be posting lots more ideas for an eco/ethical Christmas, but here are a few things that will get your present-juices flowing!

Lush is...lush.

For those emergency situations when you get a surprise gift from someone you hadn't expected, or office Secret Santas when you have no idea what to get, these little treats are perfect - who wouldn't love them? Keep a couple in your present stash as they are guaranteed to come in handy! Have a Sweet Christmas (£5.95) contains a Candy Cane bubble bar and Godmother Soap, and Chillin With My Gnomeys (£6.50) is perfect for boys or girls, and contains Snow Globe soap and Whoosh shower jelly.

I absolutely adore this Matryoshka Russian Doll - it is so cute and packaging free! The outside is a limited edition So White soap, and inside are two doll-shaped ballistics, So White and Cinders. The scarf can be reused as a hanky or napkin!

This Gingerbread House gift box (£13.50) comes with a reusable tin, perfect for your biscuits once you have used up all the products! It contains a Gingerbread House bubble bar, a Cinders bath ballistic, a Candy Cane bubble bar and a Lil' Lush Pud ballistic.

Last, but not least, this is one of my favourites because of the beautiful vintage-style handpainted tin! Winter Garden (£29.95) contains an impressive array: Vanilla in the Mist soap, Mandarin’s Tea Party soap, Snowcake soap, Maple Taffy lip balm, Once a Year

massage bar, King of Skin body butter, Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, The Olive Branch shower gel - phew!
 

 
Shop online at Lush 
Facts: Lush Christmas gifts, reusable, minimal and sustainable packaging.

Stella McCartney does Paris Fashion Week...

By Lorna

Ok so I'll admit its not exactly the best weather to show you beautiful light summery clothes but when offered a sneak preview of Stella McCartney's Summer 2011 collection i bet you'll find it just as hard to resist as I did!!

The collection was shown yesterday at Paris Fashion Week- Highlights include an array of soft pastel colored tailored suits, modern thigh high split dresses and a tangy vibrant all-over print to add a flash of bright colors. The accessories are also well worth a lustful glance and as always with the lovely Stella, its all animal friendly!

You can check out pics from the catwalk here 


Facts: Stella McCartney, Animal Friendly, SS11 Catwalk

Roll up, roll up! London Fashion Week designer raffle!!

By Lorna

Exciting eco-fashion news! The Environmental Justice Foundation have launched a charity fashion raffle with over £100 prizes, worth over £8000!! 

Launched at London Fashion Week, tickets are only £5 each and the winners will be drawn on Oct 15th. 

100% of profits from the sale of raffle tickets goes to support the EJF's work empowering people who suffer most from environmental and human rights abuses around the world.

Be quick to snap up your chances to win now by heading to the EJF online shop.

Facts: Charity Designer Raffle, Environmental Justice Foundation, London Fashion Week.

Get soul with your soles!

by Naomi

If you're one of those that refuses to give up wearing summer shoes when Autumn arrives, then you will love TOMS shoes!

TOMS makes super funky espadrilles in all sorts of fabrics and patterns, and for every pair bought it gives a new pair of shoes to a child in need; one of the key causes of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted disease which can be caught through bare feet, not to mention the risks of injury and infection from walking barefoot.

There are classic designs like these black TOMS (£32):

Or graphic neon numbers like these by artist Gabe Lacktman ($68):

Or my personal favourites, these amazing glitter designs!

Get creative with the white TOMS (£32) and paint them with your own design - you could even host a Style Your Sole party and get all your girls/boys creating their own unique TOMS!

Just check out these pair customised by Regan in Texas - beautiful!

There are organic cotton vegan styles, leather styles and they even do a range of boots (because there are some days when you really can't get away with wearing canvas shoes!)

TOMS is setting a trend across the globe having made an amazing achievement and just given away its millionth pair of shoes!

Buy them from TOMS US or TOMS UK.

Facts: TOMS shoes, one for one, canvas and cotton espasrilles, Style Your Sole parties.

Go organic between the sheets with our number 1!

by Naomi

Having hopefully provided you with some inspiration with 10 through to 2 in our Top 10 Organic Finds, coming in at number 1 is something that could get your manshapes (or ladyshapes!) excited about going organic!

The beautiful organic silk designs from Knickers In a Box are enough to get anyone's blood pumping!

The knickers, which we first featured a little while ago, have gorgeous side-tie bows and frilly edges. Prices start at £28 for the pieces in organic silk.

And now you can rule the boudoir in these stunning silk slips, starting at £120:

There's nothing more sumptuous and luxurious feeling than silk and that's why they're our number 1!

Facts: Knickers In A Box: luxury organic silk lingerie and nightwear.