I am loving this trend! Lauren Conrad sports a delicate version that sweetly spells out her name. Kim Kardashian and Rihana make a bit of a bolder statement with their double rings that draw the eye. Eco-fashionistas need not been left out- check out FASHIONmeGREEN to see where to get an upcycled ring that is as original as you!
I recently dove into the eco-friendly clothing section of etsy.com to discover the latest and greatest from eco- independent designers. Here are my picks.
Above are the super cute, super conscious summer flats from ExtraSeed. The upper fabric is recycle sourced and the rubber soles are made from discarded car tires.
Pretty Birdie does such a wonderful job displaying her eco-fashion designs, and the fashion forward pieces stand on their own. Mountain Girl Clothing is on the verge of being a little hippy for me, but I do like to incorporate some of her very interesting and signature pieces to build original style.
Wedding season is upon us, and Pretty Birdie offers some of the sweetest dresses around. Ethereal and ethical- Pretty Birdie gives your options when deciding just what to wear this summer’s weddings.
So, what about the those steamy summer evenings when you need a dress for a night out? MyDearThing has got you covered! Fresh and fun with flattering cuts that aren’t too revealing- my kind of dress. ;)
I am all about the signature pieces, and these barefoot sandals stole my heart! Creative and different- sport these with some heels and a LBD for a night out and you won’t blend in.
I really enjoyed exploring the work of independent designers designing good fashion. Anyone else I should add to my list?
Smartphone Etiquette for the 21st century. You know that commercial where the people walking around have pop-up bubbles that show their thoughts and what they are really thinking about when in differing situations where their attention should really be on the task at hand… Well, I think that smartphones create those bubbles around us all the time- everywhere we go. Like any smartphone newbie it really is infectious and you almost can’t help checking your email, because, well, you can. Let the luster fade- it is time we lay some ground rules:
1. When you are meeting with an individual, group of people for drinks or a meal, or are attending a smallish meeting (less than 20 people) put the smartphone away, on silent, out of sight. Check it at the end of your meeting or if you must, excuse yourself to the restroom for a quick check during a meal. Bottom line: give your full attention to people. It is respectful and what you would ask in return.
2. Check-in after. Especially if you are a girl, you need to be a little conscious about broadcasting your whereabouts. If you wait to check-in after the fact, you will likely have a witty comment to attach to your experience too.
3. Don’t bring the blackberry to bed. Many of us use our smartphones as our alarm clocks, but the danger is having it so handy will lead to texting, emailing and twitter surfing when you should be shutting your body down. Try a good old fashioned alarm clock and designate a ‘1 hour no electronics before bed’ rule. You will sleep better and let your mind disconnect.
Any other tips you would add?…
(picture via littleteaspoon)
I absolutely love info-graph picture books like this!
how is it that the developed world spends billions of dollars annually on weaponry,
while the poor of the developing world have no access to education, medicines or even clean drinking water? what exactly is the relationship between cheap goods on the high street and the wage-slavery of sweatshops? how have large corporations branded the world in which we live in?
The manifesto of Jonathan Barnbrook, this book lays it all out in a very visual format. Sometimes pictures do speak louder than words.
(via desginboom)
It seems we all float in and out of periods of time in our lives in which making decisions is immanent. I happen to be going through one such time. Making a decision is exciting and can sometimes be stressful, but as a very good friend of mine once (and continues to say) said, “These are good problems to have!” Agreed. Making a decision and having the options that surround it is, indeed, a good problem to have. Yet, there remains the actual decision making…
It was recently suggested to me to use a scoring matrix to help guide my choices. Basically, you list the top ten things that are important to you in say… accepting a new job, looking for a new job, deciding where you want to live, what school you want to go to, who you want to date, who you want in your life in general! You get the picture.
I think it is really advantageous to make these lists before you are faced with the decision- that way your vision remains unbiased and you can always revert to that list when wondering about what you really want.
You make list of the top ten things that are most important to you for the corresponding category you are addressing (ie: job, school, living situation, mate…). This list becomes your point of reference. When a job, school, living situation or person comes along you can score them against your list. For each of the ten points you’ve previously deemed as most important, you rank your candidate in each point with a score between 1- 10. If by the end your potential suitor doesn’t score in the 80 or above percentile, you have clearly eliminated a choice that doesn’t live up to your standards or hopes.
It is that simple, and if you try to talk yourself into allowing a less than 80er into your life, chances are you will acknowledge their shortcomings later on and know that you already knew that from your scoring matrix… Just sayin’. So, good luck people. I hope the scoring matrix will help bring clarity to your decisions as I am employing it to do for mine.
The children are bored on Sundays. Such a great use of film to portray the newest collection from Oliver Peoples. Fun, quirky and engaging- they nailed it.
With the advent of mobile gaming apps like FourSquare, location-based marketing and social media plug-ins for fashion brands and retailers are taking off. I, for one, like the trend and feel that a few brands out there are being very proactive in this space.
Ready. Set. PLAY!
Jimmy Choo and Marc Jacobs were ahead of the curve when they started offering discounts for customers who gained ‘Mayor’ status at their stores, or created realtime treasure hunts in which the customer who ‘found’ a pair of shoes on their app was rewarded with a real pair of Jimmy Choos.
Pepsi partnered with FourSquare to transform Gatorade from one of the largest sports brands in the world into one of the largest participatory brands through their Gatorade Mission Control initiative. In this way you make the act of purchasing interactive and can generate immensely insightful data. I think their is huge potential for department stores to take this concept and integrate it into their stores- offering checkin options for various areas, rewarding customers for purchases in one section with a discount or giveaway in another.
All About the Barcodes.
As more and more consumers adopt smart phones, barcode scanning features come into play. Wet Seal launched an app in which, once in the store, shoppers can ‘scan’ the hangtags with their iPhones and the application will generate different looks based on the piece of clothing scanned. Awesome.
In the eco-fashion space, what about an barcode app that allows you to scan an article of clothing and then trace it’s production, as well as be presented with a visual key as to what makes it ‘eco’ (ie: vegan, vegetable dyed, organic cotton, etc).
And, what if you could ‘review’ a product after scanning it? Perhaps add your personal take on how to style it, or state what the fabric feels like…
What About the Future?
“Mobile is definitely the ‘must’ marketing platform for Millennials, where they’re consuming content literally 24/7, instantly and constantly,” states Teen Vogue vice president and publisher Sabine Feldmann. With 75 million members aged 14-29 in the US alone, Millennials are the largest consumer group.
One thing is certain, don’t create an app just to create an app- Milliennials see right through it. Create something of value. Really ask the questions, “What is missing? What would I want to use?” And, keep rolling out the upgrades. When you launch an app have a timeline for when you want to release the next bit that will make it even more useful or cool. Just like the newest smart phone or Apple gadget garners a certain amount of lustful respect, having the latest upgrade will too.
‘energy cannot be created or destroyed… but it can be refashioned.’
– jae.c.maie* (jay-cee-may)
I was so excited to do a photo shoot with Jae C Maie Jewelry. Subscribing to the idea that what has already been created can offer inspiration and the resources to create something new, Jae C Maie fashions new and unique pieces of jewelry from pre-existing ones.
Jae C Maie offers a range of styles and signature pieces- I have a few myself! Make sure to visit the website to see the current collection and you can always contact Jae C Maie to collaborate on an original piece designed just for you. ;)
LOHAS is a wonderfully sustainable focused forum infused with inspiring talks from game changers, overviews from big brands leading the way in sustainable practices and, of course, a bit of social media and digital how-to thrown in for good measure.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and learned a few things along the way. Here are my takeaways:
Books- recommended by Tom LaForge of Coca Cola.
Online/ Mobile- Social Media.
Site Analytics & SEO.
I am back in Boulder, Colorado for the LOHAS forum. ‘LOHAS’? you ask… It stands for Lifestyle Of Health and Sustainability. Erm, okay… still, what does that mean? Well, I actually think this video does a pretty good job of explaining what LOHAS people are interested in doing. We care about the environment, are values driven, lead an eco-friendly lifestyle that we like to influence others to do the same, and sometimes they even call us trendsetters.
At the LOHAS conference we are discussing better ways to reach the average consumer, educate people, change behaviors for the better and create a sustainable world. It’s good stuff. The conference is three days long, so I will have more to share later- but this is a nice introduction.
custom tumblr theme by natalie eagan visit nataliedesign.com for more information.
