EcoLiving Ideas

By Jennifer Barckley on Apr 23, 2012

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Harkening back to our roots, nature has never been so on trend. True, it’s an oxymoron of sorts. Nature is as timeless (we can only hope) as it gets. Yet like fashion, it ebbs and flows over time. Temperatures rise, floods break loose, trees thirst for water and we strive to keep the one Earth we’ve got. So, in the midst of Earth Month 2012, it’s no mere coincidence that nature has inspired what we wear and how we wear it. Vogue calls it “bohemian”, other trend-setters call it “hippie”. We’re coining it “of the earth”—inspired by Portlandia street style and Hollywood Hills hip.

Sustainable Trends
The thing with trends is that, by its very nature, it falls short of sustainable—here one moment and literally gone the next. Each of the nine pieces we’ve hand picked here, for you, are truly sustainable and fully on trend. They’re made with care and simply designed to tread lighter on our Earth for true, earthy style. Mix and match each piece from season-to-season with the looks you already wear, to take you from a fresh spring style to a crisp fall look. Timeless. Sustainable. Oh, so fashionable.

Of the Moment
For a sweet modern take on flower child innocence, white and light returns this season and is instantly wearable with the Reparel Monica Bell Spring Tunic (available here), made from a partially recycled blend of cotton and polyester. Tie it all together with a true statement piece like the Bee Belt from Alkemie, made from reclaimed metal and vintage leather and with a wearable bit of nature, alla the Norwegian Wood Wheat Earrings, made from vintage brass and copper.

For chilly spring mornings and nights, cozy up in hemp with the versatile Envelope Cardigan from sustainable designer H. Fredikkson. For an extra layer of warmth and bohemian style, add on the Stinson scarf from Heather Heron—made in California from hemp and colored with organic dyes.

Make your look ever-more of the moment with a Navajo-inspired handbag, a print style that’s been popping up across international runways. Crafted by the Fortunato design duo Lizzie and Kathryn Fortunato, upcycled materials and vegetable dyed leathers are put to stitch. If leather is something you eschew (or even if it’s not), style comes easy this season with these breathable, earthy meets urban Surrender Mocha wedges from vegan design house

Olsenhaus. For a cool spring boot style, trot around town or run through fields in the vegan Zoe pick from Cri de Coeur. And because every nature-loving woman loves some fresh infusion of vitamin D alla sunshine, sunglasses are an essential. Make them sustainable, and you can feel good far beyond protecting your gazers from UV rays. Shwoodshop from Portland, Oregon handcrafts these fashionable shades from sustainable woods harvested in Africa.

Don the whole look or take it piece by piece. Whichever way you choose, you’ll be dressing in good conscious and good style for trendy treehugging without the crunch.

Happy Earth Day, today and every day! Cheers + Earthly Love, Organic Girly

Photo, clockwise from center top: Reparel Monica Bell Spring Tunic ($40), Norwegian Wood Wheat Earrings ($48), H. Fredriksson Envelope Cardigan ($225), Lizzie Fortunato Summer Bag ($640), Olsenhaus Surrender Mocha wedges ($225), Shwoodshop Canby Sunglasses ($125), Cri de Coeur Zoe Boots ($337.50), Alkemie Bee Belt ($275), Heather Heron Stinson Scarf ($195).