Saturday, December 24, 2011

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas


...and in New Zealand, this doesn't mean snow. I was thinking about Christmas today, it being Christmas Eve and all. I was thinking that the Western media shows a lot of images of snow being associated with Christmas, but for us Southern hemisphere dwellers, a white Christmas is impossible. Then I realised that no! It's not impossible! It's summer in Antarctica, but it's still covered in snow! So I decided to give you all a nice picture of some penguins celebrating Christmas.

Anyway...sorry I have been so terrible about posting stuff this year. I will try to be better next year. Merry Christmas!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Favourite fashion purchases of 2010

I know that a big part of sustainability is focusing on consuming less, and therefore buying less, so talking about loads of things I’ve bought does seem somewhat odd, considering my worldview...However, the purpose of this blog is share with the world my findings on what options there are for eco, ethical clothing, so that when people do purchase clothing, they can make more informed choices.

I bought quite a lot of really great clothes (ok, too many) this year, but to narrow it down to my ten favourite purchases:


- Veja Fair Trade beige/chocolate organic cotton and natural latex Taua sneakers $99 (bought for half price) from Starfish (Wellington store, see www.starfish.co.nz for store addresses) I got these during Fair Trade fortnight in May. They are super comfy, and great to wear when I go to the gym and my dance classes. They also look very cool teamed with skinny jeans.

- Skinny Nelson organic cotton hooded cardigan $70 – I got this half price at Fusion in Wellington in June, and I wear it so much. It’s unisex, and kinda baggy – looks good with skinny jeans.

- Freeset Fair Trade Organic cotton brown duck t-shirt $40 from www.choosecrueltyfree.org.nz – This is really cute and comfy, and I like that the proceeds not only go towards supporting the women who work for Freeset (ex-prostitutes in Kolkata, India), but also towards the work of SAFE, an animal rights organisation.

- People Tree Fair Trade organic cotton tunic $30 – I got this on Trade Me. People Tree is a UK label. It is great to layer over t-shirts, or wear as a sleeveless top.

- Hug Fair Trade Organic cotton slim leg jeans $74.25 from www.micahclothing.co.nz (currently on sale, I also got mine on sale for $70) I got these when Micah Clothing was doing a roadshow. I previously had said (not on this blog, but to various friends, family members, and anyone else who would listen) that I would never ever ever wear skinny jeans, but changed my mind when I found these. They’re not super skinny, they’re more somewhere between straight and skinny, and are quite flattering on me.

- Hug Fair Trade organic cotton blueberry drape front cardigan $45 (currently on sale from $60, I got mine for $40 at the Micah roadshow) from www.micahclothing.co.nz – I tie this in front, it’s very cute and flattering. Great to wear over a plain t-shirt.

- Thrive NZ made black merino cardigan $48 - I got this when Thrive had a discount outlet store on Lambton Quay. It was a sample or something for the 2011 winter collection, and it’s awesome, I wear it so much.

- Untouched World NZ made black puna wool pants $95 (heavily discounted, original price was $295) – I got these when Untouched World had a discount outlet store on Lambton Quay for a few weeks. They are a really nice pair of pants.

- Descendant NZ made organic cotton black scissor skinny jeans $134 from Starfish – I got these half price at the Wellington Starfish store. I used to think black skinny jeans were only for emos, but now I’m convinced they’re a wardrobe staple. Well, they are for me anyway. They don’t have to be for you necessarily. These are great for teaming with a slightly baggy t-shirt and some ballet flats or sneakers.

- Terra Plana black Ginger vegetable-tanned leather pumps, ethically made in China, $235 from Starfish. These are great shoes for the office. The heels are not too high, so that minimises the risk of falling over, although I still have fallen down some stairs a couple of times when wearing them. However, I won’t blame the shoes.


Friday, December 24, 2010

So here it is: Merry Christmas!

So, I'd meant to do some posts about gift ideas, but that didn't happen, sorry. Have a Merry Christmas, and I'll try to get some more posts in before the New Year. And yes, that is NZ actress Keisha Castle-Hughes in the picture above.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Formal spring outfit

Ok, so spring is almost over...let this cute outfit take you into the warmer weather!

Kowtow Fair Trade organic cotton charcoal Whether dress $145 from www.kowtow.co.nz










Hug Fair Trade organic cotton black drape front cardigan $60 from

www.micahclothing.co.nz







Terra Plana black vegetable-tanned leather Ginger shoes $235 (ethically made in China), from Starfish stores (Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, see www.starfish.co.nz for addresses)







Nancybird Australian made vegetable-tanned leather smoke festival bag $237 from www.atamira.co.nz

Pele Accessories sea shell pendant necklace, handmade in Samoa $37 from www.pelebags.com

Trade Aid Fair Trade silver disk earring with wooden bead $14.95 from www.tradeaid.org.nz




Sunday, October 24, 2010

Casual spring outfit

Look funky in this eco-friendly outfit, while staying warm in this in-between weather; spring can often feel like winter in NZ!


Hug Fair Trade deep indigo organic denim pencil skirt $60 from www.micahclothing.co.nz









Freeset Fair Trade organic cotton white fork t-shirt $35 from http://store.liminal.org.nz










Tightology Australian made botanica grey organic cotton/nylon/elastane full tights from www.tightology.com.au AUD$39.95








Etiko Fair Trade black canvas Alparagatas AUD$65 from www.etiko.co.nz










Untouched World NZ made black stretch organic cotton seaside jacket $129 (on sale) from www.untouchedworld.com









Trade Aid Fair Trade black silk satchel with red tag $69.99 from www.tradeaid.org.nz







Pele Accessories wooden beaded earrings, handcrafted in Samoa, $16 from http://www.pelebags.com/







Mamarua NZ made recycled resin rata red heart pendant $30 from www.aotearoa.co.nz

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Rapanui

Rapanui is an ethical, eco-friendly clothing company based in the Isle of Wight, UK. The company was set up by brothers Mark and Rob Drake-Knight early in 2008. They are now aged 23 and 25, and the company is about making eco-fashion cool for young people. Check out their website, www.rapanuiclothing.com.

They make men and women’s clothing from eco-friendly materials like bamboo (eg the women’s panda t-shirt pictured above), organic cotton, hemp, and modal in a wind-powered Fair Wear Foundation accredited factory. They also have a cool thing called Traceability – for each piece of clothing, you can see the journey the piece of clothing has taken, beginning from where the fabric was grown.

The range is pretty cool; it consists of t-shirts, polo shirts, long-sleeved tops, jumpers, hoodies, jeans, boxer shorts, socks, vests, leggings, and pashminas. Prices range from GBP£9.95 - £69.95. And yes, they do deliver to New Zealand.

It’s great that there is a company that is making ethical, eco-friendly clothing for young people.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Jeans

Jeans are a wardrobe stable. A good pair of jeans can last a long time, and can be paired with loads of different clothing items to be dressed up or down.

UK brand Hug Fair Trade organic denim jeans can be bought at www.micahclothing.co.nz. The styles are: Women’s Classic Bootcut in blue, Women’s Classic Straight Cut in black, Women’s Slim in dark grey (pictured above, I have a pair of these), and Men’s Traditional Straight in blue, all $99.

Untouched World has the Women’s Spring Indian blue stretch organic denim jeans, $235. It is a slightly flared style, and is made in New Zealand. For men, there is the Jackson Jean, $259, straight leg, in indigo, and the uw jean, now $160 (previously $229) relaxed straight leg, in blue. Both styles are made in New Zealand with organic denim. Buy them at one of the Untouched World stores (locations listed on the website), or at www.untouchedworld.com.

Another brand making jeans in New Zealand is Descendant Denim. They use Fair Trade organic cotton. There are a lot of different skinny and straight leg styles for men and women. I’m not sure of the exam prices, but I think they are all priced somewhere between $250 and $300. Stockists are listed at www.descendantdenim.com

Or you could go for The Good Jeans (for women), made by in New Zealand by Martinborough brand Thrive, from blue organic denim. They are $248, and are high-waisted and wide-legged. Buy them from www.thunderwear.co.nz, or see the website for stockists.