Favorite Shirts

You know what's fancy green? Buying used clothing! Here are some of my favorite shirts. One I bought retail. The striped one I bought 25 years ago at Tatters in Minneapolis. My friend Rob was working there at the time and sold this shirt to me. Don't wear it very often because it's about one wash away from disintegrating.

The paisley shirt is a Benetton reject I snagged 20+ years ago when I worked near London at a summer ESL program. At the end of the session, our rich pupils simply discarded what didn't fit in their suitcases.

And again, my favorite Liberty of London blouse. I spent the entire summer popping into Liberty whenever I was in the city....but always deciding I just couldn't spend that much money on a shirt. Then, at the end of the summer I found myself at Heathrow Airport with some time on my hands before my departing flight.

Ah, I spotted a mini Liberty store (p.s. - the shopping's awesome at Hthrow)! Could not leave the country without a fancy flowered shirt!!

Aren't they all so lovely? Write us and tell us about your favorite shirts. Also, remember that song, "Favorite Shirts" by Haircut 100 (or, British spelling..."Favourite Shirts")...how cute was Nick Heyward?



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Liberty of London

So, despite my countdown to the Liberty of London debut at Target....I ended up engrossed in a deadline and missed it entirely. Couldn't even buy anything online. All sold out. The bed sheets I wanted--gone.

What does this have to do with Fancy Green? Well, Liberty of London is a seriously fancy store. I love their fabrics - ultra thin, super fancy soft soft soft cotton. The Target branded Liberty apparel isn't made out of organic or sustainable material, but if the clothing is anything like the Liberty items I've owned forever then that's a good thing. If you can buy a garment and wear it for 20 years, that's eco too, because you're not buying more clothes or throwing away clothes. And, when you buy top quality clothes, you can recycle them by passing them on to a friend or selling them at a garage sale. (At least that's my justification.)

Here's my Liberty blouse and my favorite little cosmetic bag (I use it to carry my essential oils with me when I travel). I've had both for 10? 15? years.

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Rock On, Ecover

The past few years I have become a complete space case. I leave uncapped pens everywhere. I've ruined several sets of expensive sheets (I'm a writer--I work in my PJs in bed all the time), stained my couch, and now I'm starting to stain my clothes. When I was visiting friends in CA last NOV, I left on uncapped pen on my guest bed and left a big black stain on their fancy comforter.

But here's what: I've been going after these stains with Ecover's stain remover. And it's been a huge help. A dry cleaner once told me that you can't remove ink stains with water--they just spread. But I've managed to save several of my fav shirts with Ecover's stain remover. I never read instructions; I just dab it on and throw it in the wash (my tiny, super energy effective front loader). So, I don't know if I'd get better results if I left the remover on the garment for awhile before washing. Long story, short, the stuff has worked for me. I do have to apply and wash about three times -- but it makes a very noticeable difference.

Also, just so you don't think I'm a bad guest, I went out a bought a bottle of Ecover stain remover for my hosts before I left.

The end. : - )

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Budget Green

As organic cotton apparel and home goods become more popular, you can even find them at your favorite "discount" and department stores. Target, Walmart, Sears, and Macy's sell organic cotton baby apparel and bedding, as well as other items for kids and adults, and other "green" products.

Check them out:
Free Shipping on Select Baby Gear at Target.com

Great Prices On Everything For Baby at Walmart.com

Shop For the Home at macys.com today!

Live Green, Save Energy, and Shop Energy Saving Products


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Eco Fashion Blooming at Fancy Green

We're making new eco fashion friends all the time, and have a very fancy green lineup of reviews coming in April and May.

We'll be featuring: A lovely floral print apron made out of reclaimed bedsheets by Preloved, a Canadian company making gorgeous women's fashions out of fabric remnants. Can't wait to wear that while whipping up some vegan yummies!

Men's and women's jeans from Levi's eco line---I've been wearing Levi's my entire life - very excited to wear test their organic denim! I must try to find a photo of me as a child in my little Levi's outfits (colored twill matching jacket and pants).

A women's top and scarf by John Patrick, a super fancy eco designer. I love his take on fashion, which is posted on his site:

I envision a world in the near future where people won't ask "is it organic?" but say, "of course, it's organic."

Organic denim by Nudie. They're a Swedish company, and since my people are from there, I get to test this item. Soon, I'll be a Viking in awesome organic jeans with a great looking butt. Gotta love a denim company that has front, side, and rear views of their pants on their website. Does my butt look eco in these jeans?

Men's tees by Nate Organics. They're based in Vancouver, B.C., just a few hours up the road from us. Love their graphic tees for men and women.

A dress and men's top from Loomstate, one of my fav eco fashion companies. We've reviewed several pairs of their women's jeans in the past. I can't wait to wear test the dress at the many tea parties I'll be attending in the coming weeks, not to mention the party I'm throwing on Mother's Day!!

Here it is...I found a photo of me in my little Levi's (can't find the one where I'm wearing both jacket and pants...but I will). This is me with my cousin who was visiting from Sweden. Big Viking, little Viking. I thought it was so cool that he paid any attention to me. And now, here I am, about to sample some fancy Levi's and some fancy Swedish jeans. Two countries, one love.

So much more to come on the main site.......stay tuned.

Be Fancy. Be Green.

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Follow the Plastiki

press release from Plastiki site:

THE PLASTIKI BEGAN HER MOMENTEOUS VOYAGE ON SATURDAY 20 MARCH SETTING SAIL FROM UNDER SAN FRANCISCO’S ICONIC GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE ON AN ADVENTURE THAT WILL TAKE HER CREW ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO SYDNEY ON A MISSION TO BEAT WASTE

THE PLASTIKI HELPING TO DELIVER A GLOBAL
CALL TO ACTION AND A SPECTACULAR ‘MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE’

SAN FRANCISCO (Monday 22 March 2010): Adventure Ecology founder and environmentalist David de Rothschild and his intrepid crew; Jo Royle, David Thomson, Olav Heyerdahl along with National Geographic filmmaker Max Jourdan and Myoo Media’s Vern Moen set sail at the weekend on the Plastiki, a unique 60ft catamaran engineered from approximately 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and srPET, a fully recyclable material. An ‘off‐the‐grid’ vessel relying primarily on renewable energy systems, the Plastiki and her crew will journey more than 11,000 nautical miles drawing attention to the health of our oceans, in particular the colossal amounts of plastic debris, by showcasing waste as a resource and demonstrating real world solutions through the design and construction of the Plastiki. The Plastiki began her adventure nearly four years ago after taking inspiration from a report issued by UNEP called ‘Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High Seas’ and Thor Heyerdahl’s epic 1947 expedition, The Kon‐Tiki. True to Adventure Ecology’s values, a compelling and pioneering expedition was needed that would not only inform, but would also captivate, activate and educate the world that waste is fundamentally inefficient design. With more efficient design and a smarter understanding of how we use materials, principally plastic, waste can be transformed into a valuable resource, in turn helping to lessen our plastic fingerprints on the world’s oceans. The Plastiki expedition took influence from the principles of 'cradle‐to‐cradle’ design and biomimicry before being realized by a multifaceted team from the fields of marine science, sustainable design, boat building, architecture and material science. The journey to date has generated opportunity for tremendous curiosity, discovery and innovation as well as a platform for discussion, debate and action.

To follow the adventure, feed your curiosity, track the crews’ individual stories, witness the challenges that our oceans and its inhabitants face and learn what you can do for our Planet, please log into the expedition’s online mission control: www.theplastiki.com for regular updates, GPS positioning, crew blogs, photography and mini‐films. Check out Plastiki photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/plastiki/