Chic En Vert: Portland Fashion Week

My hometown of Portland is wonderful. Anyone who's never been must go. It's full of hipsters on bikes, good coffee, Powell's Books, and most importantly it's one of the most sustainable cities according to Grist.

image: dguides.com/portland
I'd like to focus the highlight on Portland Fashion Week- PFW. For those of you who don't know what fashion week is...it is a week or so of runway shows where designers debut their collections for the following season. I got the pleasure of going my sophomore year of high school with my best friend and we had a ball. For those of you in Portland it's October 5th to 9th so be sure to get your tickets!

I am posting this in my Chic en Vert segment because of PFW's commitment to sustainability. It is the world's only carbon-neutral production of fashion week. This is significant because Portland realizes the value in taking a high-profile event and associating it with sustainability to show the importance of the issue.
If you're a Project Runway fan like I am, you'll be excited to learn that Seth Aaron, the winner from season 7, presented last year at PFW on the ONLY black solar panel runway.image: www.accessories-fashion.com
He'll also be back this week presenting his collection made from recycled plastic textile on a runway made of the recycled plastic. Portland has been associated with 3 of the last 4 winners of the show, so there is no denying the emerging talent in the Northwest city.

It is also important that Anna Cohen, a top sustainable designer, will be showing her knit wear collection there and has a passion for making clothes that will sustain the world we live in. She uses green fabrics for her simple designs so that they can go back into the earth.


Enjoy this video of hers!

Portlandia!

Niki Saint Phalle

I learned about this fabulous artist the other day in my "Art After 1945" class. Her name is Niki Saint Phalle. I'm really adding her on this fashion blog because of her start as a model in vogue. This french fashion model turned artist was rebellious, innovative, creative, and at the height of the European Pop Art movement. She married her lover and they continued to work on art together for twenty years. What a great life!

Vogue Cover

With her artistic boyfriend

Literally shooting at the canvas (she would make figures out of objects and paint filled balloons and shoot at them)

In the white jumpsuit--never quite leaving Vogue behind.

Part of her Nana series in bright poppy colors. Entrance to "building" (read pregnant woman) through vagina. (she's funny!)
images from iamthechildofthemoon.blogspot.com

Chic En Vert: Stella McCartney

image: tomboystyle.blogspot.com

I am currently enrolled in the Environmental Science course: Human and Natural Ecology. We have been assigned a semester long project with basically no boundaries, it just has to do with the environment. So, this is my project. Each week I will post a new Chic en Vert dealing with the green side of the fashion industry.
Why?

image: www.notablebiographies.com

The fashion industry gets a bad rep. Poaching for fur coats, skinning for leather and python bags and shoes, ivory jewelry, child labor laws, the production of cotton, synthetic materials... the list goes on. I want to take the time show people that it's not all bad!
My first spotlight of this project shouldn't come as a surprise. I'd like to applaud Stella McCartney for her success in creating not only environmentally friendly, but also high fashion.image: stellamccartney.com

First, I'll give a brief bio. At the ripe age of 15 the hieress to Paul McCartney scored an internship with Christian Lacroix where she learned her skills. She then went on to Saint Martins in London and eventually took over Karl Lagerfeld's post at Chloé. She started her own line under Gucci group in 2001. In 2004 her collaboration with Adidas blew up and she now has an organic skin care line to top it all off.
Most notable, the vegetarian designer refuses to use leather or any animal skin in her clothing. She realizes not only the animal cruelty but also the amount of energy used to produce a jacket of synthetic fiber is 20 times less than a leather one. Also, there are toxic chemicals used on leather to preserve the skin from decay.
Browsing through her website, I found several things she's been doing to help the environment including: She's a big recycler-Stella McCartney Ltd recycled 2,563 kilograms of paper and 1,408 of plastic in 2009, she uses Ecotricity to run her companies, she takes the green taxi service Ecogio, and her shipping bags are 100% biodegradable.

image: adidas.com
A compilation of looks from her line for Adidas, adding a new level of cool to the world of athletic wear.

image: greenjar.net
An advertisement from her Fall 2009 campaign showing the backdrop of the environment and my personal favorite Disney character.

info source: http://www.stellamccartney.com, http://style.com

The ultimate question

Loved this picture from Free People.
But really, what side are you on?

Missoni Mania

So if you know me at all, you know how much I love a good designer collaboration. This has to be one of the most hyped ones yet. I checked on Target's website the day of September 13th, the debut of it all, and 70% of the items were sold out. A girl at Emory was wearing the knit skirt the next day also, it's clearly in high demand! Missoni really went all out here. There is not only women's wear but bedding, shoes, kids clothing, mens ties,, and even a bike!

I saw a little girl wearing a Missoni shift dress yesterday and it was just about the cutest thing I've set eyes on.

Obsessed with the shift dress

The bike! Sold out of course...

Love a knit short.

How great is this jumper?

Puffer I loved.

Part 2 of this post: my Girl Crush on Margherita Missoni, but really who doesn't have a crush on her? Her bohemian style is so unique and she is not afraid to take risks. I'll be honest, I am sometimes confused by her choices, but they are never short of a great print or color. Her perfect hair and classic model good looks also are on her side.

More Target pics. Finally feasible to own a Missoni print bikini!

Love the tights.

RENVI

Salut mes amis!

I know I literally haven't posted since the 4th of July, and I apologize deeply for that.

I blame it on traveling through Europe for the summer combined with the start of school and a fall sport. Anyways, I'm back! And with a good post to start with.

My very talented cousin, Morgan Cleary, has designed her own jewelry line based on the architectural elements found in classical Grecian and Roman columns. My favorites of her collection include the stackable rings and thick Doric inspired ones. I remember all us girls trying on every combination of the stacked rings, it is too cool to see the professional website all up and running.

Pavé Ring shown with Doric Stack End Ring with Diamond Detailing.

Think stacked rings à la Rumi:

Doric Wrap Ring

Also important to note-- a percentage of all sales is being donated to the Marol Academy (an elementary education program for Sudan children) so you don't have to feel guilty buying jewelry!

Ornament Earrings with Diamond Detailing

My personal favorite: the Tall Doric Ring. Also comes in a normal thickness, but I love how much of your finger this one takes up.

Doric Stack End ring - 2 shown on top of each other, so versatile!

Small Doric ring with ends stacked around it for the entire column effect:

Double Wrap Vatica Necklace

She even does necklaces and bracelets as well!

See the entire collection and beautiful website here.