Olive & Eggplant: Two Essential Colors for the Fall

Warhol Dress by I Clothing $116

We love olive green and eggplant purple because they are true autumn colors. These more nuanced shades of this fall’s top colors look great in combinations with other brights and neutral hues. But most importantly, they can stand alone. Pair these complexion-flattering shades with your daily staples to update your wardrobe for the fall fashion season. We've picked out some of our favorite pieces by indie fashion designers to get you started.

Gentle Fawn DIVDE Shirt $50

Green is one of the easiest colors on the eye. Not only is it a soothing shade, hues like olive and sage gently remind us of our natural environment. Long associated with fertility, the color is worn best in the autumn months as a muted earthy tone. Think olive, moss, avocado, or army when choosing your shades. The fall greens in your wardrobe should go well with earthy warm tones like reflections of gold and mustard or khaki and oak brown.

Daydream Dress from Peel $138

To tell if the shade is right for your skin tone, stand near a window or some form of natural lighting, and grab a mirror. Hold the garment up to your cheek. Does your skin look warm and glowing, or does it look a little pale and sickly? If you get compliments, your shirt’s a keeper. If your friends keep telling you how tired you look every time you wear your new green turtleneck, toss it.

Mabel Dress from Dace

Shades of purple look great on everyone. From gorgeous velvet to luxurious jewel tones, shades of purple stand out in essential accessories and flourish in full outfits. Dusty eggplant purple looks good in knit blouses and soft cotton dresses during the day; deep midnight purple makes a bold statement in autumn evening wear.

Roberta Dress from Dace

Darker gothic purple is mysterious, and rich wine purple is bold. Purple can present an air of either childhood whimsy or sophisticated glamour. Brighter bolder hues are excellent in small details like mauve tights with a grey t-shirt dress or an amethyst purse and shoes with brown slacks and a white blouse. This season, purple tunic dresses are especially popular and an easy choice for simple dressing.

Crochet Tee by cinderloop $58

Read More: Olive & Eggplant: Etsy Finds
Learn More: Purple Passion - This Fall's Top Color

Avian Fashion Fever: Anunciação Winter 07 Collection

Anunciação is a charismatic Brazilian fashion label that mixes folklore with culture. Between color, fabric, and graphics, Anunciação combines sensual design and childhood nostalgia.

Designer Catalina Estrada mixes her Colombian heritage with Japanese mangas and European art. She creates illusive natural creatures to adorn her whimsical apparel.

This winter, the bird motif is making an appearance throughout her collection. Just as it is taking a turn in many jewelry designs, the bird motif has appeared on many fashion pieces. Catalina Estrada is only one example of an artist infusing her work with the feathered friends. As both delicate ornamental details and bold graphics, her fashions have captured this popular trend. If you’re not lucky enough to live in Brazil, check out the Winter 2007 collection at Anunciação online.

For more, check out Avian Fashion Fever: Handmade Jewelry.

Sassy Finds from Solsis Designs

We have loved Solsis Designs ever since we first discovered the little fashion line several years ago. Since we’re forever envious of the bright colorful clothing, it seemed appropriate to highlight this unique designer while the weather’s still hot and the beaches are cool. Solsis Designs are inspired by the spirit, movement, and energy of life. Each item of clothing is unique and handcrafted for the woman with an active sexy lifestyle.

Solsis brings the Brazilian beat to her creations, incorporating the world of dance, rhythm, and laughter into her work. Each item is free flowing, perfect for hot nights in the dance club or long days at the oceanside. Colorful and creative, these pieces are surefire headturners.
Pictured here are the best-selling New Orleans Crescent Dress ($78) and the Yemanja Blouse ($62). The dress, shown in two different fabric swatches, is a limited edition and a very popular style. The high waist gives the dress a slimming effect and the fabric is stretchy enough to hug all your curves in just the right way. The blouse is a new design brought back from Brazil and inspired by the funky seaside culture. Check out other styles at Solsis Designs.

Purple Passion: This Fall's Top Color

As a color once reserved only for the rich and powerful, purple has again hit it big in the fashion world. A regular favorite in the fall season color lineup, purple has been plucked out as the “it” hue for this fall’s fashion trends. The rich, deep, plume shade has always been a hit when crisper weather arrives. Purple integrates well with earth tones, shades of brown, and a more neutral schema. Plum, dusky lavender, and deep wine shades look bold but not glaring when integrated with dark denim, black, burgundy, and chocolate brown. When shopping for the perfect piece, be sure to choose an article of clothing with rich undertones, like a deep velvet violet or a shade of rich purple wine.

These go best with an understated palette and can be combined with other shades like mustard, ochre, or dusky cobalt for an exciting color combination. As a jewel tone, purple is an excellent choice for eveningwear or accessories. Look for brighter shoes, shiny purses, and sequin tops for a night out and about. For more help coordinating colors, check out this season's color chart

Purple is a creative color, and because it was so expensive to come by (in the ancient times, purple dye came from a mollusk), purple is known throughout art and history as the color most associated with kings, emperors, and wisemen. Check out these indie designers for more fashion inspiration.

Empire Gown by AngelRox at Unsung Designers $228
Old Friends hand screen printed top from Little by Jenny $34
Georgette Top by Scott Gibson N.Y.C. at Unsung Designers $220
Purple Marsh T-Shirt by The Red Prairie Press $25
Flashdance Top by Robot Arms at Unsung Designers $60

Go Global! Nomad Fashion from Independent Designers

Feeling inspired by this fall’s nomad fashion trend? Ready to wear some bold ethnic prints, layered textures, and free flowing fabrics? If you like the eclectic and adventurous look of this season’s global fashion exchange but don’t want to pay top dollars for the premium designer brand, check out works by these independent designers.

Venni Caprice offers custom handmade-to-order pieces based on her red carpet designs. This empire waist dress features a tribal African design and her batik dress is just right for fading from summer into fall. For more information, check out her Etsy store or her blog.

There’s a summer sale going on right now at Asian iCandy, an online boutique store offering Asian ethnic inspired fashion from artists worldwide. The shop offers authentic and unique apparel and gifts for those who would like to blend a little Asian inspiration into their day. Also on Etsy, check out the wide leg linen Capri pants for easy movement in an earthy brick red color or the all-natural linen mermaid skirt for a free flowing bottom with a bold decorative pattern.

Fall Fashion Sees Nomadic Trend

What can you expect to see in the fashion lineup for this upcoming season? A trend towards nomadic fashion is subtly arising through the work of some of the world’s top designers.

This global exchange of sorts illustrates a mixture in styles, textures, and patterns between a number of cultures. More than just an ecclectic hippie-gypsy movement, nomadic fashion plays on a mixture of Oriental and Middle Eastern patterns and decorations mixed with natural materials. Renowned designers like Duro Olowu, Anna Sui, Nicole Miller, and Tsumori Chisato all filled the runways with nomadic fashion.
Outfits are layered with many textures and fabric weights playing into the fusion. Texture and volume are important in the overall composition of the outfit, which can be achieved through the inclusion of skirts, shawls, and blankets.
Nomadic people lived outside and faced the elements daily. They traveled through a variety of climates, and their clothing reflected their behavior. Here we see garments made from traditional materials like wool, fleece, leather, and cotton appearing, decorated with ethnic patterns. The clothing is loose and flows around the wearer.
Colors popping up in this fall trend respect the natural and earthly legacy of the nomadic woman. She shows her appreciation for the earth and adorns herself in shades like khaki, nut brown, smoke, brick, alabaster, and silver shadow. This fashion trend indicates an attitude of adventure. To get the look for yourself, choose heavier pieces like turtlenecks, sweaters, and vests in earthtones to complement lighter pieces like skirts and dresses. Look for bold designs and patterns, drawing inspiration from animal print, African textiles, Oriental designs, and Middle Eastern print. Layer on a shawl, scarf, or sarong. Accessorize with leather sandals or leather boots, vintage fur trim, and long necklaces made out of wooden beads or seeds.

A Stone for Style: Geode Jewelry

Straight from the earth, these stones don’t have to break your bank account. Geodes – rock cavities with internal crystal formations that look so sleek when halved and polished – are a new popular jewelry choice. These eye-catching stones are showing up in jewelry designs everywhere, and they make the perfect piece for transferring from summer fashion into new cool fall trends. Check out these top styles!

Urban Closeouts has a handmade geode pendant with a 14K gold fill and a flanking of mother of pearl beads.


Designs by Donna offers this stunning Ocho geode slice from Brazil with a sparkling crystal center and swirling mocha shades that surround.


Madame Bijoux offers this unique Calabas lavendar pendant. The geode agate slice is adorned with pink glass beads.


Enchanted China Designs has this large blue lake agate slice encased in silver with decorative silver drop accents.


Bijou Boutique offers a variety of original vibrant colors in their agate slices. These great accessories have added bangles or charms and hang from chains and beads.

More on organic cotton jeans: Del Forte and Loomstate

Young designer Tierra Del Forte designed the blue jeans in her fashion line, Del Forte Denim, for the revolutionary eco-chic woman who values style and ethics. Based out of Los Angeles, home to anti-sweatshop giant American Apparel, Del Forte Denim makes its organic cotton pants completely in the United States and uses green products whenever possible. Touting organic cotton as the new luxury denim, DFD partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project to help educate farmers, agricultural students and the public on ways to increase the sustainability of farms and supports those organic farmers. With the help of DFD and The Sustainable Cotton Project, people are learning that it takes 2/3 of a pound of pesticides to make one pair of conventional cotton jeans. By switching to organic crops, farmers not only discontinue the use of pesticides in the cotton production, but organic methods also help to regenerate farm soil that has already been damaged by chemical overuse.

Del Forte Denim has also started Project Rejeaneration in an attempt to promote recycling and take their commitment to responsible clothing design one step further. With Project Rejeaneration, the public can send their old Del Fortes back to company whenever they’re ready to refresh their wardrobes. DFD then uses the recycled denim to create styles for the Rejeaneration Denim line featuring vintage fabrics and handcrafted embellishments. DFD rewards recyclers with 10% off their next purchase or 10% donated to The Sustainable Cotton Project.
Another design member of the movement toward a sustainable future, Loomstate specializes in organic cotton jeans for those who are committed to acting responsibly and treating the environment with respect. This designer brand offers a select collection each season showcasing jeans, chinos, t-shirts, and hoodies all made from 100% organic cotton. Loomstate draws inspiration from 19th century American manufacturing methods and embraces the natural flaws that occur when fabric is woven from raw organic cotton yarn.

Loomstate design man Rogan Gregory is also a co-founder of the ecologically-forward thinking Edun fashion brand, along with Bono and his wife Ali Hewson. The company’s most recent endeavor is Loomstate for Barneys Green, a new line of organic cotton tops and t-shirt dresses for the high-end retailer. By mixing celebrity and fashion with sustainability, Loomstate hopes to set the bar high for denim designers everywhere.

For more, check out our previous post "How green are your blues? Organic cotton jeans."

How green are your blues? Organic cotton jeans

Most of us spend a good percentage of our lives in jeans, yet normal denim may have a host of scary chemical residues. If you saw the episode of House entitled “Poison” where two boys became deathly ill after buying and wearing bootleg denim that happened to be laced with pesticides, you don’t need to be reminded of the significance of the items that touch our skin daily.

So what about those jeans? Organic denim comes about having used fewer chemicals to grow the cotton. This means there are less chemicals left in the cotton. To wash their jeans, most companies use a chemical process called enzyme washing.

British brand Howies developed a new more gentle way of washing jeans. Using a rubberized ball called 'The Eco-Ball' tossed in with the wash, pants get a nice fricative beating and jeans came out looking like they had been washed without using chemicals.

When Levi’s unleashed their new line of Eco jeans, budget-conscious shoppers weren’t their choice audience. With a $250 price tag, the pants targeted upscale shoppers and only came out in select stores. Future cheaper versions of the jeans will include imported cotton and will not be as purely organic. The company believes that it is still too expensive to mass-produce organic cotton products.

Synthetic threads and dyes in denim don’t pose the same health threats as pesticides in non-organic food, however buying organic cotton products is a chance to support farmers who don’t use pesticides in their crops. The eco trend is strong right now, making demand for organic cotton rise each year.

Italian company Replay launched their line of Replay Organic Cotton Jeans in May, also targeting trendsters with deep wallets. Their premiere played up the ecology theme and offered courses in how to be an “Eco-fashionista.”

Right now, the demand for organic cotton products is so strong that it has outraced the crop supply. High-end retailers are able to jump into the market offering a big ticket price for a pair of pants that is 100% organic. The problem with supply and demand for cotton right now is that in the U.S. cotton must not be genetically modified in any way in order to be certified organic. In 2005, 52% of the American cotton was genetically engineered to ward against pests and disease. Until this number decreases, organic cotton remains a rare commodity.

So how do organic jeans line up? Check out these comparisons.

Howies
Howies Lizzie Jean
£80.00 ($162)
This low-impact jean is super slim with a low sitting waist and a skinny leg. The 10 oz organic stretch denim is woven in a 3 x 1 construction to keep the pant tough. The denim is from ring spun yarn that is eco-ball washed without enzymes or chemicals. The waistband in un-bleached and the stitching is designed to be durable.

Levi’s
Levi's {Capital E} eco 501 Jeans
$245.00
This female jean is an original button-fly boy-fit made from 100% organic cotton weighing 12.25 oz. It sits at the waist with a straight cut through the seat, thigh, and leg. The Rigid coloring is from dark ring spun denim with a green selvedge, and the pants include green stitching accents. The product is imported.

Replay
Replay Organic Blue Jean
Limited Edition
These hard-to-find pants featured organic cotton stitching, bar tacks instead of rivets, and vegetable tanned leather buttons attached with organic twine. They were eco-washed in essential oils and flowers, and then packaged in organic paper.