Can fashion nurture nature? Late last month I had the opportunity to attend the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion show, which showcased some of Los Angeles’ rising fashion stars. There, a noticeable underlying theme was human connection to nature. 

Some of the clothing designs displayed images of nature (though I am not sure how eco-friendly all the fabric was) and some pieces were sourced directly from nature. One accessory designer, Sticks & Stones Accessories, actually used shed deer antlers, gathered by hand in the forests of the US and Canada! The designer’s also known to use fossilized walrus and wooly mammoth ivories, gathered by permit from Alaska, Holland and Siberia.  All of the pieces that incorporate wood, antler, fossil and vegetable ivories are hand carved, sanded and finished at their in-house studio in Portland. 

Gen Art was hosted in part by smart car, which happen to have ultra-low emissions, are 85% recyclable and are produced in a low environmental impact factory in France.  The cars at the event (like the one in the image above) were covered in prints designed by some of the featured fashion designers.

Even Gen Art’s gift bags contained some eco-friendly bonuses — like discounts on vintage clothes from Just Say Native Vintage Studio. While certain aspects of the event — like the plastic cups — could have been much more eco-conscious, this event made it clear that the fashion world, particularly amongst the trendsetters and forward-thinkers, is starting to incorporate more consideration of the human relationship with our environment. To browse through Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion featured designers, check out the event website.

Victoria’s Secret’s apparently the most popular brand in many cities, according to a fashion site called ShopItToMe.com cited in the Wall Street Journal. Step into one of those chain stores, though, and you’ll find nary an organic item — though I hear a few seasons ago, Victoria’s Secret did debut an organic cotton line — that disappeared when that season ended.

I missed that short-lived line, but that’s because I do most of my shopping for underthings at Faerie’s Dance. These ruched Pants to Povery organic fair trade panties are some of my favorites from the store.

Shopping for eco-friendly lingerie can be frustrating. Better known spots like Patagonia carry only sports bra type options — and even Gaiam or Hessnatur focus on basic and practical, not pretty or sexy. Faerie’s Dance has some of the basics too — but this green online boutique’s stocked with a wide variety of eco-friendly bras and panties, lingerie, and dresses — many from hard-to-find European designers. Here, you can get cute lacy matching organic Charme bra and panty set from France, and pick up a flouncy lavender organic cotton Dream Nightie too. Plus, Faerie’s Dance stocks some of the bigger sizes many boutiques just don’t even carry. The Elegance Enveloping Bra‘s available in 38DD!

The downside? Faerie’s Dance only exists online — so you can’t try the lingerie on before you buy. That is — unless you were in Southern California last weekend. On Sunday, Faerie’s Dance held a Try On Green Organic Bra & Eco-Fashion Event — where green-thinking women could come by an eco-friendly salon in Torrance to try bras, slips, and dresses on for size.

I stopped by and nabbed four new pairs of undies for just $10 each — soon to be reviewed here — plus a free organic T-shirt from Blue Canoe for being one of the first 30 people to RSVP!

Faerie’s Dance owner Adrienne Catone says she’s not sure when the future Try On Green event will be. But to find out, subscribe to the company’s email list. In the meantime, Faerie’s Dance’s website offers descriptive sizing information to help you make an educated guesstimates before you buy.

If you’re like me, you mentally add an extra $15 to $20 or so to the price tag of every pair of pants you buy — because you’ll need to get them hemmed up — and usually taken in at the waist too. Even the pre-loved $15 Hard Tail yoga pants I got at Buffalo Exchange ended up costing me $29 at the end, after a snip-and-sew job at my tailor.

That’s why I got so excited about the Flexure Pant from Horny Toad. These organic cotton pants have legs made for girls like me — with each bottom hem equipped with three overlocked lines that can be cut to a desired length, without fear of unraveling!

I think of Horny Toad as the J. Crew of eco-friendly activewear — since the look’s a casual preppy that’s just shy of uptight. Horny Toad’s designs may hint at curves, but are never figure-hugging or bod show-offy like American Apparel or Hard Tail. I’m not a J. Crew type, but was preppy-curious — so when Horny Toad sent me an organic workout outfit for review, I sharpened my scissors!

I snipped sans fear at the hems of the Flexure Pant — then paired it with the Storm Tank Top and wore my eco-friendly outfit to one of L.A.’s funnest eco-friendly activities of the year, Big Parade L.A. Here I am with Dan Koeppel, the parade organizer, in my Storm Tank Top.

Sadly, I didn’t take very good photos of the pants — though a fellow parader caught me in a stylized photo, below. Beyond the cuttable hems, the Flexure Pant has a lot of cool detailing — like angled yoke seams and a back stash pocket. And the Storm Tank, made with a blend of eco-friendly Tencel, organic cotton and spandex for stretch, also has some simple but unique design elements, like the diagonal pintucks across the chest.

The downside? The outfit isn’t quite made for my body type — and thus isn’t quite as versatile as I’d hoped. See how low the Storm Tank’s neckline is on me? That neckline — combined with the extra stretchy shoulder straps and not-so-deep shelf bra — made for a small fashion faux pas during yoga class, when I ended up revealing a lot more than I intended during upward dog! Luckily, it was a small morning class with just four women. And the Flexure Pant’s also made for a girl less curvy than me. On my body, the piece is a tad too tight at the hips and thighs, a tad too loose at the waist. The outfit may best suit women who have bodies like J. Crew models — small boobs with nearly no ass.

Still, I’ve been wearing the comfy Horny Toad pieces on hikes to Temescal and Runyon, sometimes paired with the extra long Hyde OTM Halter to cover the too-tight-around-hips issue. And I’m grateful to have saved that $15 I usually spend at the tailor.

The Flexure Pant is available for $67 at Horny Toad‘s online store; the Storm Tank for $46. And if you like Horny Toad’s Facebook page, the company will send a $1 to Heal the Bay.

I knew Michael Franti had green leanings, since I saw him perform at a Earth Day festival in L.A. a few years back. But recently I discovered the musician’s become an eco-preneur — combining his love for the environment and yoga by co-creating an organic yoga apparel company.

Called Stay Human, the eco-fashionable company offers stylish yoga clothes and accessories for men and women — all organic, of course. You can get your entire whole outfit here — from a green sports bra to an eco-fleece hoodie to ruched yoga shorts!

Stay Human sent me its Downward Dog Pose racerback tank to try out — and it’s become one of my favorite warm weather tops. The organic cotton piece comes in a great fitted cut, complete with a shelf bra and doggie-illustrated directions for the perfect downward dog pose, in case you need a reminder!

That said, I can’t actually wear this racerback tank to do yoga. To the left, you’ll notice that the scoopneck tank actually falls quite a bit lower on me (and that I have a great farmer’s tan from CicLAvia) than it does on the model on Stay Human’s website. I’ll warn you — If you’re a large B cup or bigger — prepare to pop out as you go from chaturanga to upward dog if you dare wear this top during practice! But the tank’s perfect for a day out on the beach or around town — so it still gets a lot of love from me.

Want to try some of Franti’s yogawear? Stay Human’s having quite the organic yoga gear sale you should check out. From Heart Capri Pants for $39 to Berry Red Halter Tops for $22.75, there are a lot of great organic deals.

Plus, Stay Human also offers yoga-friendly accessories — like stainless steel water bottles and even recycled note cards to send to your favorite yoga teachers. And a full 10 percent of whatever you spend will be sent to the Bumi Sehat Natural Birthing Clinic in Indonesia or Hunters Point Family in San Francisco.

Top photos via Stay Human; middle and bottom photo — of Michael Franti Michael Franti at Wilshire Center Earth Day in Los Angeles, April 2008 — by Siel

Eco-fashionistas in Santa Monica have a new shopping spot. Late last month, a new branch of Buffalo Exchange opened on Main Street on Santa Monica — so I had to stop by and check out the wares last week!

This Buffalo Exchange is a bigger, better version of the old Westwood store, which closed down and relocated to this beachier spot. I browsed the well-organized racks for basics I needed — jeans, yoga pants, and a neutral-colored tank — and found all three!

The green aspects of reusing clothes really appeals to be, but honestly, the prospect of saving green by avoiding retail prices appeals to me even more. My scores this time:

>> A pair of barely-worn Guess jeans: $30
>> A perfectly-fitting pair of Hard Tail yoga pants: $15
>> A basic tank for the summer, great for layering: $5

That brought my total to $50 — lower than the cost of a new pair of Hard Tail yoga pants alone!

Though second hand shopping’s a great way of saving money, I still always recommend going with a shopping list and sticking to it — lest you buy stuff you don’t need and won’t wear. I was a little sad to leave these cute Coach sandals behind — priced at just $35.

I brought a reusable bag for my finds, which meant that the girl at the cash register gave me a little 5-cent token for its “Tokens for Bags” program, which reward shoppers for BYO-bagging by letting them donate a little cash to a good cause. On the way out, I got to pick from three different charities to donate to. I went with the Creative Visions Foundation!

What are the best bargains you’ve found shopping for pre-loved fashions?

Buffalo Exchange. 2449 Main St., Santa Monica. 310.314.7300. Other L.A. locations in Los Angeles and Sherman Oaks

Earlier: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide