Mini Project: Refashioned Floral Retro A Line Dress

I fell in love with this delicate blue and green floral print, but unfortunately it was on a size 12 mumu when I found it. It was only $10 at Goodwill, though so I thought I’d give refashioning it a whirl. Here’s the (rather shoddy) finished product. I might wear it to NY Fashion Week if it doesn’t fall apart on me before then!

Let me know what you think!

How to Make a Broken Barrette into a Three Finger Ring

Turn this:

Into this:

I’ve been lusting after a three or four finger ring a la Radio Raheem’s LOVE and HATE jewelry in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing for some time now, but they are super hard to come by and when I do see them, they’re quite pricey. Well, when my favorite bow barrette broke the other day, I wondered if I could make it into a DIY version of the classic three finger ring. The existing hardware on the clip fits my fingers just perfectly so I didn’t even have to make any modifications! I’ll be rocking my sweet new ring around town. I think I’ll name it “Serendipity.”

win the flirty eco-bikini worn by gisele in vogue’s green fashion issue

vogue loved this flirty bikini so much, they asked loyale to bring it back from a past line. it’s made using all low-impact dyes in NYC baby!

inhabitat is giving it away for free. all you have to do is comment on the post.

win it here: $120 limited edition eco-swimsuit

edit: remy c brought up a good point about the suit - just want to clarify that it will not be the exact same suit worn by gisele, but it will be just as purty!

by they way, thank you so much for reading remy. i am a big fan of your writing!

PROJECT EARTH DAY Fashion Show Pics!

see more pics and read the full story here.

designer melissa kirgan, inhabitat.com editor in chief, Jill Fehrenbacher, designer
meiling chen, designer xing-zhen chung-hilyard and friend

the crowd waits anxiously for the show to start

xing-zhen chung-hilyard and melissa kirgan

abigail doan and yuka yoneda

california select at american apparel takes all the guesswork out of buying vintage

a lot of wonderfilled things come from california - weezer, nwa and fish tacos, (oh fish tacos, you delicious bastids!) so i wasn’t the least bit surprised to learn that california select, american apparel’s answer to those who want that vintage look without having to rummage through racks of unorganized garb, is also an export of the golden state. gee, i wonder what gave it away?

anyhoo, i was walking by the new-(ish?) american apparel store near f.i.t., which is one of the choice aa locations that carries cali select and noticed a gaggle of oldie but goodie type heels peeking through the window. further investigation of the store turned up even more one of a kind california select finds like a glittery gold clutch, versatile corduroy shorts and classic tan trench, all hand-selected by vintage tastemakers.

the new term for offering such exclusive pieces at widespread retailers like aa is massclusivity, and i consider it a gateway drug. it starts with finding a slick leather vintage clutch at aa, then leads to buying a sweet tweed skirt from the cali select ebay store, and finally turns into full-blown rack-surfing at the family jewels. there are so many gorgeous things out there that still have a lot of use in them, so i’m glad to see american apparel introducing the appeal of vintage shopping to people who may not have considered it before. resistance is futile.

cali select isn’t totally about vintage-made pieces. they also recycle these perfect circle vests out of old wool blankets!

trace the origin of your garment with icebreaker’s baa code

clever alert! icebreaker has a totally rad tracing system for their high-performance outdoor garments called baa code.

all you have to do is type in the code that’s on every icebreaker tag, and it will let you see the living conditions of the high country sheep that produced the merino fiber in your icebreaker garment, meet the farmers who are custodians of the sheep, and follow every step of the supply chain. baavo, icebreaker, baavo!

their images are pretty stunning too!

sustainable STYle: 2fer at the NOW progressive fashion showcase

i spent so much time ogling, trying on and rubbing my face on 2fer’s floaty alice in wonderland-inspired collection for spring at the now showcase during fashion week that i really owe them a post.

at first, i was a suspect about the line because it isn’t made of sustainable or organic materials in the traditional sense. luckily, jinruei fan, one half of the 2fer design duo, enlightened me by explaining that although they don’t source special eco-materials like some other brands do, they do produce locally and use a stocked fabrics program, which allows them to purchase textiles that will otherwise be discarded either because they are from the previous season and are in low demand or because they have been damaged. buying these materials saves them from the dump and avoids having to use brand new fabrics, which take time, money and energy to produce.

smart! the takeaway here is that there are so many ways to produce an end product that is better for the environment. it’s not just about slapping together all the eco-stuff that you can find and making something out of it - it’s about thinking outside the box. remember: the best green features are invisible.

my favorite 2fer looks for spring:

can you guess which alice in wonderland characters inspired these?

why is this a site?

swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.