good on you

Have you heard about the Aussie website Good On You?

It's a fashion website (with a great name - I love a good pun) that ranks a number of well known clothing brands on their ethical and environmental credentials. It can be quite hard to find a perfectly 'sustainable' fashion label these days, but I still prefer to reward those taking steps in the right direction - a big change to the garment industry has to start somewhere, right? And this site makes it easy to see which brands are taking steps toward more ethical and sustainable practices.

You can click through to buy all the pieces on their site, and if you're curious about how each garment receives a given ranking, the webpage includes information on which rating system (or systems) has given that garment a certification.

I was recently asked to pull together my favourite pieces from the site - you can read the entire article here, or see some of my picks below:

Ginger and Smart – Secret Vice sleeveless blouse

Style: This lovely peachy-pink goes perfectly with other items already in my wardrobe, and the interesting cut and tailoring makes this a standout, timeless piece.

Eco: Silk is considered a ‘natural’ fibre and typically has a long life, but is not acceptable to vegans and many vegetarians, so must be a personal choice.

Ethical: Certified by Ethical Clothing Australia

Shop all Ginger & Smart here.

Nobody Denim – Cult Skinny Jeans Addict

Style: Everyone needs a solid pair of jeans, and I find high waist skinny jeans provide a classic silhouette that can be paired with flats, heels, boots or thongs (flipflops for our northern hemisphere friends!)

Ethical: Made in Melbourne and certified by Ethical Clothing Australia, so I know the people who made these jeans were paid well and treated fairly.

Shop all Nobody Denim here.

Ginger & Smart G&S Incision Slouch Pant

Style: Perfect combination of tailored but comfortable, and can easily be dressed up with an amazing pair of shoes and blazer.

Ethical: Certified by Ethical Clothing Australia.

Shop all Ginger & Smart here.

Ginger & Smart Infinity Skirt

Style: The bold geometric shape paired with the high feminine waist make this a power-skirt with a twist.

Ethical: Certified by Ethical Clothing Australia.

Shop all Ginger & Smart here.

Ginger & Smart Arcadia Dress

Style: This dress is the ideal combination of femininity and structure, plus the interesting detailing makes me know I won’t get bored anytime soon.

Ethical: Certified by Ethical Clothing Australia.

Shop all Ginger & Smart here.

Collette Dinnigan Eclat Bra

Style: Such a stunning piece of lingerie, so feminine and pretty. And who doesn’t love a bit of black lace – like a secret when worn underneath a sensible shirt.

Ethical: Underwear should be as ethical as outerwear, don’t you think? This beauty is certified by Ethical Clothing Australia.

accessories review : oxfam

Did you know that Oxfam recently released its new Accessories Catalogue?

Oxfam asked me to review the catalogue (what a fun request!) and here I have pulled out some of my favourite pieces:

Layered Paper Geode Pendant

This incredible 'Geode' is actually made of layers
of waste magazine paper and crushed glass at a
fair trade workshop in Swaziland -
my absolute favourite piece of the collection.

Layered Paper Stone Ring

Made in the same workshop as the 'Geode'
pendant above.

Cana Flecha Bracelet

Made from cane that has been dyed with fruits,
vegetables and plants, and braided by Zenu
Indian artisans in Colombia.

Ceramic Shard Silver Necklace

Made with salvaged shards from a

Vietnamese ceramic factory.

Golden Brass Cuff

Created using traditional techniques in India,
and featuring a soft hammered detail.

Mosaic Bangle in Turquoise

Handcrafted, wooden bangle covered in traditional
Indian lac - tiny beads and mirror shards.

Scarf with Triangle Motif

This scarf is handwoven 100% linen,

and screenprinted using AZO-free dyes.

Triangle Design Clutch

Natural leather clutch that will gain patina and
age with grace, enhancing this bold pattern.

* * * *

All the accessories sold by Oxfam Australia are sourced to help Fair Trade producers reach new international markets, and help the artisans emerge out of poverty. Oxfam Australia is a Fair Trade organisation and works rigorously to ensure the artisans and products adhere to the principles put forth by the World Fair Trade Organization and the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation. You can read all the details on their website (I love transparency!), and you can also learn about the artisans who made all of the products on each product page.

The catalogue also marked Oxfam Australia's first ever photoshoot, and the catalogue features stunning models that celebrate the rich diversity of Australians - two of the models below are young Indigenous women from Darwin who are now studying in Melbourne, and the silver-haired maven is a fierce advocate for animal rights and works at Oxfam Australia.

 

 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through this new catalogue, seeing the beautiful ethically-produced pieces, and daydreaming about my next accessories purchase.

The entire catalogue is now available online - happy shopping!

american optimism

Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress
- Nicholas Murray Butler (Nobel Peace Prize recipient)

Flag by Jasper Johns, c/o Wikipedia

 One thing I have been accused of since moving to Sydney is that I can be too optimistic (as if there is such a thing). I mostly assumed it was a personality trait, and generally accept it as a compliment not a criticism (even if it was intended as the latter). Then last week I was attending a lecture by a visiting professor from the US, Richard Maxwell, who was discussing greening media technology, when a comment from the crowd teasingly referred to his 'California optimism'.

Aha! A fellow optimist in the room! And he's a fellow American - could this be a national trait?

Then Friday I attended an event organised by 350.org that featured another American, Bob Massie, a leading thinker in sustainable development. His speech was incredibly powerful and uplifting, and he ended by saying we must not allow ourselves to be defeated through the 'derision of people who thought they knew better'*. We must maintain a vision of a better future at all costs.

He was a gifted orator, and I was struck by how dramatically his speech differed to the activist speeches I have grown accustomed to, which can appear fueled by rage, not hope.

Hope is a powerful tool.

Hope has driven social change throughout history, ranging from the women's suffrage movement to the civil rights movement, and multitudes more before and after.

Hope enables me to see beyond despairing statistics and the anti-environmental denialist campaigns to envision a sustainable and just future.

Having hope does not mean that you don't see the challenges ahead, but that you've seen them and have decided to fight anyway.

So I thank these two American thinkers for coming to Australia and sharing their progressive and optimistic thoughts with us Sydneysiders. And I want to thank them personally for this reminder that, among all the incredible gifts I received through the chance of being born an American, optimism and hope are two of the most important.

So next time I get accused of being too optimistic, I'll just say thanks, I was born that way.

I had this poster on my wall in my first apartment.
Image c/o Wikimedia Commons

*Massie was quoting Albie Sachs, South African activist and former judge

film review : advanced style

Last week I finally sat down to watch the delightful documentary Advanced Style.

Ilona Royce Smithkin - she makes her own
eyelashes, among her other charms.

Based on the blog and book by the same name by Ari Seth Cohen, Advanced Style introduces us to a number of stylish, sassy, and unique New York women who are not only aging gracefully, they are aging with style. My only wish is that we'd been able to get to know these ladies a little bit more in depth, as I suspect there are a lot of great stories to be told beyond just their ability to dress. However, based on what I did see, I found myself falling in love with each of them as I watched the film; Zelda in particular stole my heart when she proclaimed:

I am a happy person.
I think I was born happy - I was a 10 pound baby!

Zelda Kaplan, who sadly passed away during the filming of the documentary.

There is so much to love about this film - the fashion, the creativity, the personalities, the accents, the joie de vivre - but ultimately what I loved the most was the overarching message that age doesn't mean you lose your beauty, you become more beautiful because of it.

A number of the women featured in the documentary have been hired for fashion campaigns - ranging from Kmart to Lanvin - and I hope these campaigns are not merely a trend, but a sign of the fashion industry becoming more inclusive with the types of people used in advertising campaigns.

Jacquie Tajah Murdock

So what does this have to do with sustainability?

Well, what all these women know is that trends come and go, but good style is timeless - quality over quantity! Also, it's important to take care of your fashion pieces.

I loved seeing Joyce Carpati take out her beloved Chanel bags to show her granddaughter - the bags gently cared for over the decades and stored in protective cloth bags - and explaining that they will be hers one day. I also admired Joyce's overall elegance, her demeanor, and her hair is magnificent.

Joyce Carpati

Tziporah Salamon spoke of the care that she puts into her clothing - both in terms of planning outfits (which may take up to 7 years to get just right!) as well as mending and handwashing to care for the clothes properly.

Tziporah Salamon

And it's not surprising that a number of these style mavens own or work in vintage clothing shops, like the vivacious Lynn Dell, who owns the Off-Broadway Boutique.

Lynn Dell

Debra Rapoport - who featured in the Kmart advertisement - also creates many fashion and jewellery pieces form recycled materials, including paper towel and toilet paper rolls (read this great interview on Recycled Fashion). Debra also shares my love of yoga, and her outfits are even louder than mine!

Debra Rapoport

So overall, a lot of lessons to learn from our stylish elders - take care of your clothes, take time to dress and express yourself, and life really does keep getting better with age (except the aching bones, of course).

Have you seen Advanced Style? I'd love to know what you thought of it!

full circle

Well, I guess my transformation is complete. I now own a pair of Birkenstocks. I'm a real hippie* now.

When I attended high school in the late 1990s I was appalled by the number of my fellow students who unashamedly rocked their Birkenstocks with wool socks (you know who you are). In their defense, there was a certain 'outdoorsy' cohort of students who likely inspired this trend, but memories of this awkward  look turned me off Birksenstocks for the better part of two decades.

Ahh the memories . . . it certainly didn't stop me from dating
a couple fellas who wore this interesting combination.

I admit, I'm guilty of keeping the Birkenstocked-Hippie stereotype alive in my book; these sandals are referenced in the chapter when I visit the Manly Food Co-Op and see women in their Birkenstocks and feel there is no possible way I could fit in a place like that.

But my inner fashionista simply cannot ignore the growing trend for this quirky and comfortable sandal. And really, the writing was on the wall as soon as the stylist for the Clean Cut Designer Showcase sent our lovely models down the catwalk in - you guessed it - Birkenstocks and socks.

Can you also spot the white Birkenstocks
on the right, on one of our guests?

After much deliberation, including considering exactly which outfits I could wear these sandals with so as to not simply be a slave to fashion (or buy something that I really won't wear), I finally purchased my very first pair of Birkenstocks.

I opted for the patent leather black Arizona style, and can confirm they really do go with a large portion of my wardrobe, are extremely comfortable, and live up to the environmentalist credentials I always assumed they had.

They are perfectly paired with my Carlie Ballard hand-woven
Ikat traveller pants - and the ideal shoe for walking around
the cobblestone pathways on Sydney University campus.

And I even wore them to the Manly Food Co-op** on the weekend . . . but I don't think you'll catch me wearing them with socks anytime soon.

xxLisa

* * * *

*Dear self-identifying hippies, please do not take offense! I admire your dedication to your lifestyle, it is simply that I have never felt comfortable in the traditional 'hippie' attire. As my friend told me on the weekend, I am now a 'North Shore Hippie' (i.e., not a 'real' one like he is)

**The Manly Food Co-op is currently raising funds to help them move into a larger space - if you've been contemplating membership for awhile, now is an excellent time to join!

changemaker : carla cosgrove

Today I'm delighted to introduce you to changemaker Carla Cosgrove, the clever and stylish woman behind Candour Store, an online store with an alluring collection of non-toxic beauty product alternatives.

Candour Store just celebrated its 1st anniversary - Happy Birthday!!!

This online shop is beautifully curated, and since Carla has worked as a makeup artist you can trust that these products are not only non-toxic, they actually perform.

I recently *sat down* with Carla for a chat about what makes her tick and her dreams for the future, here's some of our conversation:

When did your 'green' journey begin?
My interest in social and environmental issues started quite young, as early as primary school, but like all worthwhile things it is an on-going journey of ideas. By the time I left home I was already doing some simple things like eating a vegetarian diet, recycling, using natural cleaning products, recycled toilet paper and reusable shopping bags; but on the flipside I definitely wasn’t considering things like where my huge wardrobe of clothes came from, the ingredients in my beauty products/makeup kit or the impact of my disposable coffee cups! — When you know better you do better, right?

Once I got better informed, it became easy to commit to connect the dots and start making more consciously “green” choices in all parts of my life and career. It’s really not difficult to be green these days with so much easily-accessible information and so many beautiful alternatives around!

What inspired you to create Candour Store?
I think all life’s good ideas come from a back-catalogue of experiences and smaller ah-ha! moments along the way. However, the thing that really kickstarted the creation of Candour Store was the moment I decided to get serious about creating a life and career that was more strongly aligned with my values; one that focuses on creating good in the world and sharing my skills in a way that helps others live happier, healthier lives.

There were so many experiences that came together to get the idea of Candour Store cooking. It had always made me sad to hear the people sitting in my makeup chair talking smack about their own or others’ physical appearance and, although I tried to ignore it, working in the conventional beauty/fashion industry had often given me the wrong gut feeling. Another big step in the journey was experiencing a face full of blisters as the result of using a product labeled “natural”. That ugly experience lead me to pick up “No More Dirty Looks” by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt— a book that helped steer my life in an unexpected and exciting new direction.

Your site is so visually appealing, what's the inspiration behind the look?
What a lovely thing to say. Thanks Lisa! I was lucky enough to work with talented Aussie designers Max Duff (brand identity) and Tabitha Emma (website design) to create a look and feel that reflects Candour’s central values. Our starting point was the word “candour”; which means to be frank, open, honest and straightforward (or “candid”).

Another major influence was the look, quality materials and genuine, personal relationships of the small boutiques of days gone by. I went crazy researching old photographs, stories, advertisements and packaging designs; then worked with Max (who also happens to be my little brother) to distill all my madcap ideas into a workable concept.

At its core, Candour’s aesthetic is about honesty, quality and the luxury to be found in simplicity.

Describe your dream day.
Ooooo…So many options! A dream day is always made up of lots of little unexpected happinesses, isn’t it? If I had to select just a handful of ingredients though, they would be: Waking up on foreign soil, a wonderful frock, some bright lipstick, coffee in the morning, exciting new adventures and characters all day and a glass of something delicious at night.

What is your favourite part of running Candour Store?
I am blessed with the loveliest customers, followers and suppliers. Chatting with my “regulars” over email, answering green beauty questions and receiving some beautiful thank you letters is undoubtedly my favourite part of running Candour Store. Getting to try out oodles of beautiful green beauty products isn’t such a bad gig either!

What is the most important lesson you'd like people to take away from visiting your site?
That “Green” doesn’t have to equal “hippie” any more. There are so many genuinely eco-conscious, luxe, toxin-free beauty brands on the market these days. Greenwashing is really prevalent in this industry though; so it’s important to always read your product labels and use the magical powers of the internet to get informed about what kinds of businesses and practices your purchases are supporting.

Any personal favourite products at the moment that we need to know about?
I’ve got so many, but for Summer I am really enjoying Eco Tan’s Organic Coconut Sunscreen. It’s contains skin-nourishing oils, soaks in nicely and is tinted too. It’s become my go-to for a quick moisturiser, light foundation and sunscreen in one.

Are there any products that you really wish someone would create a 'Candour' version of?
A really frothy, luxurious and toxin-free bubble bath would be wonderful!

* * * *

Okay, by *sat down* I mean I sat down at my keyboard and we typed to each other. But I'm certain we will meet 'in person' one day and I'm already looking forward to it - I can reconigise a kindred spirit when I meet one!

I hope you enjoyed meeting the changemaker Carla Cosgrove as much as I enjoyed chatting with her.  Why not head over to Candour Store to read more about her journey into green living and take a peek at the delightful online store? I suspect you'll be glad you did.

a tale of two handbags

Ahhh, the life of a sustainable fashion researcher . . .

I promise it's not filled with endless purchases (endless online 'window' shopping, maybe), but I did recently make two exciting purchases I want to share with you.

First, I ordered this stunning Moa Tote by Angela & Roi from Modavanti.

I had been looking for a structured tote for awhile, something to take with me to interviews and meetings, and researched a lot time before making this decision. And now that it's arrived, I couldn't be happier with my choice.

I was so excited when it arrived I took a picture of it in the box!

It is a black vegan leather tote, and the colour of the bag corresponds to the charity Angela & Roi donate to with each handbag purchased - my black tote meant that Angela & Roi donated $5 to the Melanoma Research Foundation. They currently work with 11 charitable foundations - have a look at their gorgeous (reasonably priced) handbags, and see where you'd like your money to go.

* * * *

My second purchase was this delightful black beaded vintage clutch.

I've been in the market for an evening bag for awhile, and my patience paid off! This charmer jumped out at me on my trip to Wollongong last week (for my first ever academic presentation - success!) when I stopped in the Fairy Meadow Antique Shop.  The detailing and quality is remarkable.

So, two bags, two very different styles, two ways of enjoying fashion sustainably.

* * * *

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...

I wonder if Charles Dickens imagined that his famous opening line from A Tale of Two Cities would be as relevant in 2014 as it was in 1859?

Today we have the best knowledge and resources available to us at the touch of a button, our health and wealth is higher than ever, yet the world remains plighted with concerns of security, inequality and, of course, climate change. It can be so depressing to even turn on the news these days.

I know my handbag purchases won't halt climate change or sweatshops today - and some people will say I'm adding to the problem by making new purchases. But I also know that with each conscious choice I make, I'm shifting the way of the world ever so slightly. And when we all join in, and let these conscious choices flow into all aspects of our lives (including how we vote), we have the power to truly change the world.

xxLisa