You might best know Maggie’s Functional Organics for its organic socks and tights, available at Whole Foods and many eco clothing stores. But this green company makes more than just footwear. In fact, you could dress yourself up entirely in Maggie’s, thanks to Maggie’s organic cami-and-shorts set (left).
However, I’m not sure I’d leave home in this outfit, despite Maggie’s contention that “These Lounge Sets are great for yoga, lounging around the house or running errands on the weekend!”
Lemme start with what I love about the ‘fit. Obviously, Maggie’s commitment to organic cotton and to Maggie’s commitment to fair trade practices (this cami-and-shorts set is made in Costa Rica) makes me happy. Even better are Maggie’s prices! Bucking the image that eco-fashions are only affordable to the rich, Maggie’s offers its cami-and-shorts set for just $28 right now!
What doesn’t work for me about this ‘fit: It doesn’t fit well. No, the outfit isn’t too big or too small. I mean that the clothes don’t look flattering on me — or on most people.
To be fair, I’m okay with the cami. The organic cotton fabric’s great — soft and comfy — and the lightweight cami kept me cool in my apartment on a sunny SoCal day. The one downside is that the fabric around the armpits just doesn’t sit flat, creating an unsightly gap between your skin and the shirt, as you can see even on the model photos above (I added in the red circles to highlight what I’m talking about). However, I guess the degree to which this fit would be a problem depends on your unique size and shape.
The shorts (right), however, are another matter. They look like they were made by quickly cutting fabric roughly in the shape of shorts, then sewing up the edges and attaching a thick chunk of elastic up top. The shorts have little shape, hanging down loosely and bunchily in a manner that’s not very flattering to my ass, hips, or any area it covers.
Sure, the shorts are comfily “functional” — in the same way that an organic cotton sack with holes for the head and arms could “function” as a comfy dress. But they are not cute. It may be because I live in LA, but people here don’t wear stuff like that to yoga class; they wear cute stuff, more like this.
Meaning that while Maggie’s shorts avoid the eco equals expensive stereotype, they fall directly into the eco equals shapeless sack stereotype. I do feel that Maggie’s has sort of lost a great opportunity here by ignoring design factors. Comfy clothes can look good too — and I hope Maggie’s will work on the aesthetics of its products more in the future….
However, if all you really care about is comfort, you can be good to your wallet, your own health and the planet’s by getting some affordable loungewear from Maggie’s Organics.
[crossposted on BlogHer]
The above is a pencil case made of drink pouches. Or more accurately, it’s four Kool-Aid pouches cut and sewn together, with a zipper attached to one side. To the right’s a look at the inside.
I even think the reusable totes TerraCycle’s making by upcycling used Target plastic bags look pretty good. They’re sturdy too!
