Be Good to Your Mother

I know, I know, dear readers, Mother's Day was weeks ago. But I'm not talking about your actual mother, I'm talking about Mother Earth. Yeah, it's kinda silly, I guess, but doesn't it sound better than always saying, "Go Green" or "Be Eco-Friendly"? I just need a little variety, that's all.

But I know that this is a topic that is not going away any time soon. Any maybe, just maybe, I'm eating my own words a bit here, because back in January I said, "Green is good. Let's just quit talking about it all the time." And I'm still not convinced that lots of companies are jumping on that bandwagon for nothing but publicity reasons, but there are legitimate reasons to keep this topic at the forefront of the fashion industry.

For one, many of you send me emails asking how to update and reuse items you've found at Goodwill at other resale stores. You just don't want to go out and buy new things. That's recycling at its best! Keep those emails and comments coming; the DCGF is always up for a challenge. And here's the exciting part: fashion labels are starting to reach out to li'l old me to let me know about their green initiatives! How cool is that? Yep, the gals over at Lutz & Patmos sent me an email giving me all the details on the companies new collaboration with Barney's Green, called Leroy & Perry.

Their spring collection consisted of three pieces named after their favorite New York City restaurants: Pastis, Cluny and Zampa, shown at right. All of the styles are made from materials like recycled t shirts and bamboo and 1% of the proceeds go to an environmental charity. Cool, right?

Even better, the Zampa tunic is currently on sale at Barney's! Personally, I wouldn't wear it sans shirt, as the gal in this picture does, but I think it would look great over a button down for the office, or just over a tee-shirt for weekend casual.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the whole line's inspiration comes from the first few years that designers Tina Lutz and Marcia Patmos spent living in New York's West Village on - where else? - Leroy and Perry Streets.

So here's my Monday gift to you, dear readers: an exclusive preview of their fall collection! At left is just one of the looks to come from the collaboration at Barney's for the fall and winter months in more of those earth friendly fabrics. Don't you just love the toggle closures and hood? Looks so cozy...

And this color's easier to wear than you might think. Pair the capelet with chocolate brown, olive green, rust red for a great fall color palette. Oh, and remember how I'm all about investing in a long pair of gloves for winter? Well this garment is perfect for either showing off bracelets or wearing a fabulous pair of pleather gloves in a longer length, to keep your wrists warm and toasty. I don't have a price point for this item yet, but when I get more details, I'll let you know!

And what befits the fashionista who sports this label and is good to her mother? Try the Billboard Large Deluxe Messenger Bag from Ecologic Designs. It's made out of 98% reclaimed and recycled material, including (as the name suggests) its waterproof, repurposed vinyl billboard exterior.

And yeah, I'm totally digging this Zipcar version, 'cause if you don't own a car (like moi) there's no better way than a Zipcar membership to get all of your donations to Goodwill (and do a little shopping while you're there, too!). On the website, it appears that you might not get to choose which billboard ends up on the side of your bag, but that's part of the fun, I suppose. The bags retail for $119.95, which I'm sure is in part due to their unique nature, both stylistically and in how they're constructed. But it's a great investment that's guaranteed to last a long time.

Ahh...how sweet it is to work for an organization that's one of the nation's largest recyclers. And Goodwill Industries will soon be doing even more to let you know how Goodwill's are being good to our mother earth. I'll keep you posted!




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