Cruelty Free Friday: Melissa Patchuli II Heels

I will not tell a lie. Bulgarian women really know how to rock some killer heels. I have not yet mastered tottering over the surface of cobbled city streets here in Sofia nor do I have the impeccable pedicure that merits showing off my digits in stilettos. Given my 'predicament', I was instantly drawn to these latest vegan show stoppers by Melissa Shoes.

The Melissa Patchuli is available at Kaight NYC and features a sexy 4" wedge heel with 1" platform and flirty peep-toe plus ankle strap. This new subtle lavender hue with brown stripe seems as if it would be flattering on either fair-skinned or bronzed gams. 

Each pair is crafted from 100% recyclable, technologically-engineered injected thermoplastic that easily molds to feet for maximum comfort. Hypoallergenic, breathable and odorless. A huge step forward in cruelty free fashion for the animal kingdom as well as women who want to be able to go the distance in high style.

*via Kaight NYC's blog

Leaf // Cloud Trunk Show in NYC on June 14

Jai Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

'Grasses and Rushes 2 (new beginnings) 2010' by Patrick Winfield

Ceca Georgieva handmade fiber cuffs from Bulgaria

Leaf // Cloud slow fashion trunk show

Tuesday, June 14 from 6pm to 9pm

at Fair Folks and a Goat

7 East 88th Street, New York, NY

Read more in my article on EcoSalon

Upstate Shibori at Kaight Shop

I loved seeing these shibori wraps by Upstate while visiting Kaight with my friends from EcoSalon and Green Beauty Team this past weekend. Indigo and natural plant dyes are definitely the rage at the moment, with recent art installations and textile studios getting in on the action and rewards of this hands-on process. You can read more about shibori in my recent post on the Textile Arts Center's Teem exhibition and Japan fundraiser.

You can find Upstate's 100% raw silk and natural indigo

 dye wraps via Kaight's online shop.

Kaight Launches "Vintage Shop Within A Shop"

Kate McGregor in her vintage wool felt hat from the 80's

 "Vintage Shop Within A Shop" opens on January 15

Kate McGregor, owner and curator of Kaight NYC & Brooklyn says, "It's such a no-brainer, I don't know why it took me so long to implement a vintage section at Kaight. The purest form of eco, vintage clothing offers not only a glimpse into fashion's past, but wonderfully well-made garments, many of which coincide with the trends-du-jour, including longer hemlines, bohemian prints and highrise denim. Find it all at Kaight starting Jan. 15."

See Kaight in Livia Firth's round up, I Love Green NY, as well.

FNO: Fiber, Textile, and Slow Fashion Rules

Titania Inglis F/W 2010

There is no doubt that Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) is an occasion to celebrate fashion as we know, love, and covet it – up close and from afar. With a globe-spanning agenda aimed at rattling the timbers of gilt fashion houses and retail venues, FNO is also great way of celebrating the very fiber of what inspires us as unique style makers and shoppers. 

Whether you are in NYC, LA, Rio, or Reno, there is something for everyone this Friday, September 10. Given my passion for all things fiber, textile, and eco-related, here are a few of my picks for FNO happenings in NYC’s environs and beyond.

KRELWear 2 Go and Trunkshow at Kaight NYC (Sept 9 -10)

A two-day event at Kaight NYC where visitors can custom design their own ‘quickie couture creations’ with KRELWear’s talented knit designer, Karelle Levy. KRELwear’s philosophy is based in the simplicity and beauty of "toobular" knit design. Their stunning collections include sweaters, dresses, skirts and tanks, as well as colorful hats, scarves, leg warmers and cuffs. This will be a totally unique way to fashion a one-of-a-kind FNO couture creation, suitable for fashion week parties and fall fêtes to come.

Clothing Map (2007) by Daria Dorosh

Fashion Lab in Process (FliP™) at the American Folk Art Museum


Do not miss the launch of Fashion Lab in Process (FliP™), a one-of-a-kind fashion house created by designer and Project Director Daria Dorosh, PhD, with a social, economic and environmental agenda to carve a new sustainable niche in the fashion industry and support local young designers. FliP™ will show its first collection of garments and accessories in a 'fashion theater' installation at the American Folk Art Museum, 2 Columbus Avenue, between 65th and 66th Streets on Friday September 10th, from 5 – 7pm.

Daria Dorosh's recycled textile 'Wrist Loops'

Current participants include: Dorosh’s line of ‘Wrist Loops’ (jeweled textile accessories for both women and men) and fashions by eco-conscious designers, among them Meiling Chen of Fearless Dreamer, Phaedra Elizabeth, Laura Bond, and the local sustainable design collective Eko-Lab by Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard. A special fashion performance by artist Meghann Snow will be ongoing in the AFAM window.

'Slow Fashion' at The Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn

Titania Inglis F/W 2010

Come celebrate the official kick off of the fall season at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn with an evening of slow fashion and design discussion, hands-on workshops, and local sustainable designers presentations. 

Recycled rubber band necklaces by Margarita Mileva of M2 Jewelry

6 – 7 pm 'Hack Sustainable Fashion' workshop with Giana Gonzalez
7 – 8:30pm Ecouterre eco-fashion panel and Q&A moderated by Jill Fehrenbacher of Inhabitat and Ecouterre. Invited panelists include Greta Eagan (FashionMeGreen), Caroline Priebe (Uluru), Sarah Scaturro (Fashion Projects/Cooper-Hewitt Museum), Titania Inglis, Shabd Simon-Alexander, and Laura “London” Shirreff (Waste Not Want Not)
8:30 – 11pm Shopping hours with local designers (reMade USA, Wiksten, Shabd, Titania Inglis, and M2 Jewelry), free DIY workshops, food, drinks, live DJ 


Visit The Textile Arts Center's website for more details

Ikou Tschuss Store Opening at 8 Centre Market Place, New York City

Ikou Tschuss unique knitwear designs are all hand-crafted and "the process of doing the work is vital to the form the design takes. Their production is staffed exclusively by grandmothers, who retain the old crafts-womanly approach to handwork—skills that owners Guya Marini and Carmen D'Apollonio feel are disappearing today."


You can weave together your own rockin' itinerary for the evening of September 10 via Fashion's Night Out.

Kaight Celebrates 4th Birthday With New Locale in Brooklyn

Congratulations to Kaight NYC for the recent celebration of their fourth fabulous birthday and the announcement that they will soon open shop in Brooklyn. Proprietor Kate McGregor continues to set the standard for state-of-the-art sustainable fashion retailing, and her latest venture is proof that New Yorkers and global Kaight followers are more on board than ever when it comes to defining personal style with a real conscience.

Visiting Kaight at 83 Orchard Street on NYC's Lower East Side is a bit like being invited into a hipster girl's closet, as sustainable fashion collections, mix-and-match chic, and affordable accessorizing options are smartly displayed for the oggling. Shopping at Kaight is also totally stress free with the sweet laid back vibe and non-hassling attitude. I am the sort of person who takes quite awhile to settle on a purchase, and I love that I can ask a lot of questions, take my time with my decisions, and even come back or order online once I have made a final pick. This is how I found my beloved TOM's navy-striped wedges and PI organic cotton lingerie earlier this summer. I honestly lived in these two items at home with the fan and cool music playing.

Given that NYFW is just around the corner, I asked Kate what she was most excited about on the upcoming fashion week calendar, and in addition to The GreenShows, the NOW Showcase is always one of her favorite events. She views it as a must-do-look-see for anyone truly serious about sustainable fashion retailing and editorial coverage. Of course, there is a queue of Fashion's Night Out events on Kate's radar, including her own in-store event with Krel Wear on September 9th and 10th, as well as Ecouterre's Slow Fashion panel discussion at the new Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn.

H.Fredriksson A/W 2010 collection

Stunning finds during my recent visit to Kaight: Whit's retro-style short skirts, Eairth's A/W 2011 organic canvas capes featuring some seriously stylish volume, Study NY's fall pinstripe jumpers, Samantha Pleet's latest and greatest it-girl creations, Melissa's Juggler wedge heels, and H. Fredriksson (woodgrain) print tunics.

Matt & Nate black vegan leather 'Beat' wallet with chain wristlet

For those of you lucky enough to venture into Kaight during the next few weeks, do take a peak at the Matt and Nate 'shop-within-a-shop' on view through November 30, 2010. You can also follow Kaight's blog for updates on the new shop in Brooklyn. The scoop on its design? A very different look from Kaight LES. Something consistent with the original architecture and retro-fitted with one-of-a-kind interior designs by Kate's bevy of talented friends.


*above images are of Kaight 83 Orchard Street

Bridging Summer to Fall Naturally

How tricky is the leap from poolside or beach towel to back-to-school or fashion week polish? It's a snap with Samantha Pleet's Jump Up Suit. The perfect zoot suit for eco fashionistas on the go.

Join the chain gang with DLC Brooklyn's 'Octave' vintage-style brooch

Chic summer to fall wrap up with Thieves Cowl Jumpsuit made of tencel jersey (comes with this fabulous recycled leather and beeswax organic cotton sash belt)

The ultimate back-to-school basic, Kaori Yamazaki's ORGANIC 'Cap Sleeve Tee' (Made in NYC)

Quilombo bangle sustainably produced in the Amazon by the Ecostasy Collection

Exquisite and unique, 'Strange Invisible (organic) Perfumes' from Futurenatural

Tinctory smocked silk necklace dyed with Japanese indigo and natural plant dyes

Rianne de Witte's organic linen 'Robe' from her S/S 2010 'Seascapes Collection'

Cri de Coeur 'Jessie Assymetric Wedge Pump' with Hidden Platform (available for pre-order)

Extra Seed's vegan hemp linen flats on etsy

* Samantha Pleet A/W 2010 and DLC Brooklyn are both available at Kaight Shop

Creating New 'Dialogs' with Ethical Textile Accessories

Summer accents with the potential to work their magic all year long are a welcome option when it comes to sustainably savvy style. I recently came across Dialog clutches and bags at the EcoSalon Shops! event at Green Spaces NY in early June and really was impressed with their design simplicity and textile chic. Now KAIGHT shop is offering these gorgeous clutches by Dialog's sister company, World Butik.


"World Butik bags incorporate hand weaving from the Saori WEaving Co-operative in Thailand. Saori weaving is a source of income as well as therapy for those who lost jobs and family members in the tsunami disaster of 2004."

Locally-crafted, traditional textiles are really the most fashionable luxury statement you can make these days. I love that a clutch like this is truly global in outlook and most importantly, connects us to what matters most - working together to solve environmental challenges while also looking our best.


*Dialog/World Butik's 'Blue clutch' retails for $98 at KAIGHT

Samy Chalon Vintage Chic at Kaight

Paris in springtime? There is really nothing sweeter. These vintage silk scarf tops created by Samy Chalon in Paris are the talk of the Haut-Marais. How fabulous that they are now available at Kaight shop. So pretty and fresh.




*Kaight

YANA: Feel Good Handbags & Clutches

(model photo by Delcho Dimov)

So the sometimes tricky (frustrating) thing about being in Bulgaria all winter is the canopy of endless grey sky (despite the amazing mountain backdrop) and the parade of beautiful women in Sofia's city center. I have not been very 'blinged-out' these past few months, but if I had known about YANA handbags and clutches before leaving NYC, I might have stocked up on a few.

Yana 'Sexy All The Time Faux Fur Belt Bag' - made in NYC

Made in NYC out of repurposed and vegetable tanned leathers and soft faux-fur, these eco-luxurious bags also sport embellishments like 14k plated hardware, glimmery shoulder straps, and hand-sewn bows on the labels inside. 'Sexy at All Times' seems too good to be true for an overworked artist, mother, and self-employed blogger. It's good to know that looking kept and chic is as easy as donning one of these covetable numbers.

Yana 'Sexy At All Times Belt Bag' (made from recycled gold anaconda, canvas lining & 14K gold plated hardware)

Read more about YANA's founder, Ayana Evans, and her background as an artist (MFA trained painter) and accessories designer. (A woman after my own heart).

Shop YANA bags online or in person at Kaight NYC.