Ladies — and gentlemen who like to dress up as ladies — go clean out your bra drawer. Make a pile of all the bras bought online that never quite fit right or nursing bras you never plan to use again, because you can recycle them for a good cause!

That’s right — A bra recycling option called The Bosom Buddy Program is happy to take your old bras off your hands (via Organic Authority). Started up by a textile recycling company in Arizona, The Bosom Buddy Program gives donated bras to women who need them, whether through shelters or other programs that help women gain self-sufficiency.

Got a bra or few in good, functional condition to donate? Wash them, fill out a donation form (PDF), package up the bras with the form, then either drop them off at a location near you or mail them to The Bra Recyclers, Attn: Elaine Birks-Mitchell, 23844 S. Power Rd, Ste 102-433, Queen Creek, AZ 85142.

Wondering why bra owners wouldn’t just wear their bras themselves until they’re no longer functional? In addition to the fact that many bras, like post breast surgery and maternity bras, are meant for temporary use, many women actually don’t discover their correct bra size until they’ve amassed a collection of ill-fitting bras.

Think you may be wearing the wrong size? Follow these instructions to figure out what your correct size is — and if it’s different from what you’ve been wearing, make sure you send in your pre-loved bras to The Bosom Buddy Program so they can find a new home with a woman who can fill their cups.

Earlier:
>> Sexy green bras
>> Eco-friendly panties
>> Organic cotton bra at Whole Foods

Photo by (nz)dave

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My main purse is a pre-loved Marc Jacobs handbag I got at Santa Monica’s Wasteland. I paid a few hundred for that accessory — the high-end designer stuff’s in the locked glass cases against the walls, if you’re looking for something similar — but most fashion finds at Wasteland are a lot more affordable — and edgier too.

Wasteland’s a well-known pre-loved fashion company for modern and vintage styles with 4 locations in California. According to Wasteland’s website, the Santa Monica store offers a “smooth blend of West Side ease and beach-meets-Highstreet style” — a fairly accurate description.

The well-curated collection ranges from hipster T-shirts to punk-inspired dresses to designer shoes, like the pink size 7 Marc Jacobs pair above, on sale for $30. Not all items at Wasteland are pre-loved, as you can tell by the row of pleather LBDs below, but most of the thrifty finds are.

I actually don’t shop here very often, simply because my sense of style’s — simpler. But if you’re into the Melrose look — Wasteland’s flagship store is indeed on Melrose Ave. — you could probably get lost in this store for hours, mixing and matching your next look together.

Wasteland. 1338 4th St., Santa Monica. 310.395.2620. Also in Los Angeles (7428 Melrose Ave., 323.653.3028), Burbank (325 N. San Fernando, 818.842.4900), and San Francisco.

Update, 1/30/10: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide — 7 stores, 2 miles!

Bottom left photo via wastelandclothing.com; other photos by Siel

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Of all the vintage thrift stores out there, Crossroads Trading Co. seems to be the one that most proudly embraces an environmental mission. The pre-loved fashion company describes itself as a “recycled fashion retailer,” prominently displays and sells reusable bags at its stores, and donates a nickel to a local charity whenever a customer declines a bag!

Like Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads buy and sells clothes that fall somewhere between high-end designer and low-end discount brands. Bebe, Express, and French Connection are among the typical brands you’ll see, with most items priced between $20 – $40 — though you’ll run into the occasional more expensive Cavalli or Burberry piece.

Then there are all the small brands you’ve never heard of that made fun functional clothes — that got ditched by their former owners. At this store I’ve gotten a comfy black hoodie, a warm black jacket, and a pair of low black heels. I wear a lot of black!

I often wish the shoes were better arranged by size, but considering how much foot traffic this busy store gets, I imagine maintaining order isn’t easy.

Higher-priced designer items are usually behind the front checkout counter or hanging on the walls. I always want the stuff that’s hung up high, but have yet to work up the courage to bother someone about getting it down to try on, mainly because I’d feel bad if I ended up not buying the item.

This Crossroads is just a block west of Third Street Promenade, so shop pre-loved here first before heading to the conventional retail stores. And remember to take your own bag. At the Santa Monica store, the bag donation beneficiaries are School on Wheels and a local animal shelter.

Crossroads Trading Co. 1449-B 4th St., Santa Monica. 310.255.0500. Other L.A. area locations in Hollywood, West Hollywood, Studio City, and Silver Lake.

Update, 1/30/10: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide — 7 stores, 2 miles!

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Everyone knows what Goodwill stores offer, but few take advantage of the store as much as I do. Many people see Goodwill as a means to get rid of stuff they no longer want without feeling guilty. I go to Goodwill for that purpose too — but also go there to shop.

The Santa Monica Goodwill’s really helped me make my kitchen more functional. There, I’ve gotten airtight jars for flours and coffee, baking dishes to make casseroles, and wine glasses.

I’ve bought sweaters on the cheap to take apart and upcycle into a camera case and other toys and accessories. I’ve bought sweatpants to run in. And I’ve even gotten shoes! The Steve Maddens above cost me just $5.99 — and I still get compliments on them.

Of course, shopping at Goodwill can be really time-intensive. There’s a lot of digging involved. But the gems are there. Yes, the shoe rack’s always a mess, but last week I spotted a pair of cute Charles David heels! (below) They’re very well worn, but at $5.99, worth their money –

What have you bought pre-loved at your local Goodwill?

Goodwill. 524 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica. 310.393.1400. Additional locations throughout the Los Angeles area.

Update, 1/30/10: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide — 7 stores, 2 miles!

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When I think do-gooder resale shops, I think of musty-smelling thrift stores filled mostly with slightly dingy items — with a few good finds sprinkled in that I’ll really need to invest a lot of time digging to find.

The American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Santa Monica is not one of these.

This little shop on Wilshire isn’t exactly a high-end consignment shop, but still boasts gorgeous pre-loved designer finds in a pleasant, easy-to-browse atmosphere. If you wear size 9 shoes, the pair of Prada heels above can be yours for $35. Or for $65, you can snag a pair of gently worn size 36 Manolo heels with satin ankle ribbons!

The surprisingly fashionable shoe rack’s small, but rewarding — as is the rest of the store. Apparently, the American Cancer Society has a whole chain of stores across the nation (here are the California locations), run by do-gooder volunteers — mostly nice older women, if the volunteer force I saw at the Santa Monica store’s the norm. Proceeds from selling the donated goods go toward American Cancer Society’s work.

Of course, not all the clothes here are fashionable. In thrift store style, this ACS Discovery Shop has a $2 rack — full of clothes I didn’t want to be caught dead in — that one of the volunteers really tried to get me to shop from. “They may not fit you, but you might know someone they might fit!” was her best sales pitch after sizing me up — but you know how I like to preach sticking to buying only what you need –

American Cancer Society Discovery Shop. 920 Wilshire Blvd. 310.458.4490.

Update, 1/30/10: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide — 7 stores, 2 miles!

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Eco-fashionistas shopping at Great Labels need only walk a couple doors down Wilshire to keep searching for pre-loved fashions at The Address Boutique, an established consignment store that’s been around for decades.

While Fashion Therapy, Great Labels and The Address Boutique carry many of the same brand names, the general curatorial style of The Address Boutique’s noticeably different. The owner Maureen Clavin apparently came of age in the 1940s — and the styles at her store seem to be geared more towards what my mother would wear.

Here, you’re more likely to find older, more sedate vintage-y pieces than last season’s runway fashions. That said, you can spot more chic modern pieces too, like this pretty white dress above. The shoe section’s decent-sized, with cute finds, like the pair of blue size 6 Marc Jacobs heels with satin ankle bows above, yours for $125.

The Address Boutique. 1116 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. 310.394.1406.

Update, 1/30/10: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide — 7 stores, 2 miles!

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If H&M’s quick promise to stop destroying unsold clothing appeased you enough to shop its eco-friendly spring line, I have some bad news for you. What you thought was a cute organic cotton outfit may actually be made of genetically modified cotton.

That’s what the German edition of the Financial Times is reporting. For those who, like me, can’t read German, Ecotextile News has the lowdown in English. Apparently, an independent testing lab tried testing some of the fabrics labeled organic cotton from European brands H&M, C&A and Tchibo — to find that 30 percent of the samples contained genetically modified cotton! (via EcoSalon)

How could this lapse occur? The problem’s been traced back to India, which grows nearly half of the world’s organic cotton. According to Ecotextile news, “reports from reliable, trusted organisations and producer groups about fraud within the Indian sector of the organic cotton industry have been common-place,” with third party certification agencies EcoCert and Control Union even getting fined in April 2009 for alleged fraud.

Who’s to blame? The onus falls on the industry as a whole — which “needs to establish firmer rules of governance over organic cotton production” — the third party certifiers, as well as the brands themselves — which “need to invest more in improved supply chain transparency and more thorough testing,” according to Ecotextile News. As of yet, it’s unclear what actions the industry will take, since the brands involved are still investigating the issue:

A spokeswoman for the Swedish clothing chain H&M told news agency AFP that the company became aware of the incident last year and admitted that GM cotton could have made it into H&M‘s organic range. C&A are said to be undertaking a thorough investigation.

Until the problems get cleared up, eco-fashionistas may want to avoid clothing made with organic cotton from India, instead supporting clothing companies like Cottonfield USA that make their clothes from organic cotton grown in the U.S.

Photo by Ambrosiana Pictures

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Great Labels in Santa Monica is hands down my favorite consignment shop. Why? The place just has my style. I often find gently worn, classic designer pieces that I can wear forever — like the military style Diane Von Furstenberg 3/4 sleeve shirt I got there and probably wear too often. If we’re friends on Facebook, you’ve probably seen pictures of me wearing it!

Right now, 100% of the proceeds from the bargain rack will go to support the Haitian earthquake relief.

And the bargain rack really has some bargains! Look at the price tags.

Plus, the place has an extra large shoe selection!

Assuming no one’s snatched them up since I saw them on Tuesday, a pair of cute pink size 8 Marc Jacobs shoes are on sale for $32. They’ll be perfect once the rain stops!

Here’s where I usually put my “‘buying stuff you don’t need or won’t end up wearing isn’t green even if it’s used” and “the greenest closet is the one you already own” caveats. I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but whenever I don’t include the anti overconsumption clauses, someone emails to complain….

Great Labels. 1126 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. 310.451.2277.

Update, 1/30/10: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide — 7 stores, 2 miles!

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The stretch of Wilshire Blvd. in the City of Santa Monica’s dotted with great eco-shopping opportunities — including a few fantastic consignment shops that offer pre-loved, high-end designer fashions. I drop by these from time to time when walking home from the library or Whole Foods — and though I kind of want to keep them a secret, thought I should share how I manage to afford designer brands while keeping my closet as green as possible.

The first of my recommended consignment shops: Fashion Therapy. This pleasantly pink store’s inviting and friendly, with well-organized racks full of pre-loved high-end designer clothes that make eco-fashion shopping fun.

The shoes are especially well organized:

For consignment store newbies: shopping at these stores will save you a lot of money over brand new pieces from the same designers — but that doesn’t mean that shopping pre-loved is always cheap, as this coat illustrates:

But you can still get many gorgeous, affordable pieces, like this pretty blue Betsy Johnson dress, on sale for $127, when I dropped by on Tuesday.

Fashion Therapy has an especially fantastic sale rack, with prices going all the way down to $20 for a Max Studio shirt.

As always — No shopping’s green if it’s wasteful shopping. Remember that a good wardrobe — especially a good green wardrobe — requires planning, not just snatching up items because they happen to be cheaper. And of course, the greenest clothes are the one you already own.

Fashion Therapy. 2305 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. 310.264.2577.

Update, 1/30/10: Pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica: A Walking guide — 7 stores, 2 miles!

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>> For eco-couture fashion: The Green Carpet Challenge. Colin Firth’s wife Livia Firth is documenting her effort to wear only green-minded couture as she accompanies her husband during the awards season. To the Golden Globes, she wore a re-purposed Christiana Couture wedding dress, accented with a simple black velvet ribbon.

>> For anti-plastic activism on the water: 5 Gyres. If plastic soaks up DDT, and fish eat plastic, and I eat fish… what’ll happen to me? That’s what the people behind 5 Gyres are trying to find out as they sail across the Atlantic, blogging their findings. Read my post at FilterForGood to find out more.

>> For cyclists with wanderlust: Path Less Pedaled. Remember Russ Roca, L.A.’s bicycling photographer? He’s in L.A. no longer, because he and Laura Crawford have sold off pretty much everything they own to take “an extended bike tour throughout the US and beyond – with the goal of connecting with and collecting the stories of people who followed a calling to live their lives in unique ways.” The two appear to be eating good food in the Tucson area right now. Ride along virtually! Earlier: Radical uncluttering: Getting rid of stuff in search of new adventures.

Photos via Vogue.com UK

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