Snack Obsession, Blazing Through, & Alpacas in the Oil Spill

• Blazing Through. John Varvatos offers a cotton/bamboo-blend, two button blazer in tan, and a linen herringbone blazer in brown. $198 (from $595) on GILT Groupe . Varvatos is a fur-free designer, and now if he’d only replace leather, lambskin, and merino wool, I’d be a happy man!

Cotton Bamboo BlazerCotton Bamboo BlazerLinen Houndstooth Blazer

• Snack obsession of the day: Dried Chili-Lime Mango. The sweetness of mango, the kick of chili, the tang of lime – with a texture as satisfying as jerky, this is a fruit snack for big boys. To boot, recent research indicates that Chili may help stop the spread of prostate cancer cells and may contribute to improved weight loss.

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• I have mixed feelings about Alpaca hair being used to soak up the oil spill. According to the UK’s Telegraph, hair from more than 100 alpacas in Pennsylvania is on its way to the Gulf of Mexico to help soak up the oil spill. Something doesn’t sit right with me about this (aside from the ethical implications of exploiting animals for their fur/hair/skin). Does the ecological impact of the livestock sector outweigh any possible good that could come out of using any (or every) part of these creatures’ bodies to clean up an environmental disaster?

Alpaca hope: The fur will be stuffed into pantyhose and used as makeshift booms that will - hopefully - soak up the oil spewing in to the Gulf

Other solutions exist. In addition to Alpaca, human hair is being stuffed into pantyhose to be used  as makeshift oil booms. There are probably tens-of thousands of hair salons in the united states, if not more – why even bother using Alpaca? If you cut hair or know anyone that does, now is the time to make use of your garbage!

Human hair stuffed into nylon stockings is being collected for its efficiency at absorbing large amounts of oil

A Fetching Friday

SoFaux tag

SOFAUX Fashion Factory makes awesome, hand-printed, hand-dyed,  organic cotton shirts. Made in Seattle. Get them at BlackBird for about $58

SoFaux shirtSoFaux shirtSoFaux shirtSoFaux shirt

Also check out more organic finds from our favorite lines:

Gilded Age is famous for well-made, classic garments using the oldest looms remaining, and centuries-tested methods of dying and construction. This “Sullivan” organic cotton chambray shirt &  “Clarke” organic cotton seersucker shirt are quite fetching.

We love these organic “RIP” and “Sir Edmund” tees from Vuori AW09. Founder, Joe Kdia and Chad Alasantro,  use waterbased inks, organic cotton, and well-designed homages to eco warriors. Check out the rest HERE.

RIP Sir Edmund

Wings & Horns & Lars Andersson organic tank tops are perfect for summer, and to show off some ink!

Wings + Horns Color Block Tank TopLars Andersson 6006 Knit Tank Top

Sameunerneath‘s organic cotton blazer is back! This is a rare item in the world of menswear.

Cover your head! Patagonia makes a nice organic cotton cadet cap in black, brown, and green. Also check out their 100% recycled poly rainshell!

Cadet Cap

M\'s Eco Rain Shell Jacket

Fresh Friday Finds

1. Viori’s Tees and Scarves, 100% US-grown organic cotton, water-based inks, made fairly in the USA.

Vuori Stone Scarf

2. NY Coalition for Healthy School Lunches is an organization that promotes plant-based farm-to-school nutritional and educational implementation. I had a chance to go eat a delicious, vegan meal with the kids in Harlem last week, and I have to say that the menu, which was designed by a collaboration between Candle 79 and the school, was really yummy! Find out how you can get involved by clicking below:

NYCHSF logo

3. Reware’s JuiceBag ES300 Solar Messenger charges iPods, Cell Phones, GPS, Cameras, etc, and is made from recycled soda bottles.

4. Refinding’s reclaimed accessories, made from reclaimed materials like trading cards, nylon, matchbooks, and type-writer keys.

5. Abuse of Primates in Research Labs exposed on ABC’s NIGHTLINE. If you missed it on TV, read the article at change.org. Read also about why animal experimentation is so inneffective from a woman undergoing cancer treatment, and watch the Nightline video below:

nightlineprimates


6. Sameunderneath Knit Blazer  on Sale, 75% organic cotton, 25% polyester

7. HBO premieres the documentary “Death on a Factory Farm”. Get program schedule here. Watch a clip from the doc:

8. Of The Earth organic cotton hoodies.

9. Veg News weighs in on obstacles to estimating the number of veg kids. The CDC fails at surveying. Read the article:

10. Do you ever have a clogged drain and you end up buying the toxic, animal-tsted Draino? Finally there’s a pure, natural environmentally-friendly, enzyme-producing bacteria that liquefies grease, fats, and other organic wastes and controls odors in drains, garbage disposals, and septic systems. Earthworm! What’s best? It’s only five bucks at VeganStore.com.

Turk + Taylor: Spring/Summer & Autumn/Winter 2008

Turk + Taylor‘s Spring 2008 collection is gorgeous! Mark Morris and I have been chatting a lot about everything from video art to ethical clothing production – something Turk +Taylor strives for. The Spring/Summer 2008 collection is full of organic cotton, sporty twill blazers, bingo shorts, pinstripes, bold colors, and slick details. Also, their blazers are lined with organic cotton, and much of the silk is ‘sustainable silk‘, taken only from abandoned cocoons (fear not, vegans).

Turk + Taylor Spring 08Turk + Taylor Spring 08
keno blazer, organic cotton twill, lined with organic cotton, white; bingo shorts, organic cotton twill,white; fußball shirt, organic cotton, yellow/gray stripe

You might just catch me wearing the pinstripe blazer below this spring. I think it’s very handsome. I also really like this photo-shoot. The images remind me that all of our constructions are bound to crumble and return to the earth. it also says that our home is falling apart. This planet’s ability to continue supporting human life is getting more and more fragile. Luckily, Turk +Taylor employ SSA (Sustainability, Social Responsibility, Animal Advocacy), so their footprint is much lighter.

Organic Blazerkeno blazer, hemp/cotton, lined with organic cotton,
indigo stripe; fußball shirt, organic cotton, navy purple

Turk + Taylor Spring 08
tetherball hoody, sustainable silk, fuscia.

 

Turk + Taylor Tshirt Spring 08

Turk + Taylor Spring 08

Turk + Taylor Tshirt Spring 08Turk + Taylor Tshirt Spring 08

These Turk + Taylor organic cotton Tshirts feature fresh retro-inspired art and bold colors.

The Autumn/Winter 2008 collection is equally gorgeous. The series features striking utility cuts with an almost entirely monochromatic palate of blue-gray accented with splashes of rusty plaids. Organic cotton is used throughout, and recycled wool is featured in many garments. I love the double-pocket on the utility dress shirt below:

Turk + Taylor Autumn 08
Turk + Taylor Autumn 08
Plaid

From the top:
1. utility dress shirt, organic cotton, aqua/gray stripe
2.utility dress shirt, organic cotton, black stretch denim;trouser, recycled wool, teal
3. utility dress shirt, organic cotton, red shadow plaid

I expressed to Mark that I’m thrilled that they’re using recycled wool. Recycled anything means less resources are being extracted, and less polluting output is being released into the landbase. Because recycled wool is not ‘flashy’, unlike a vintage fur, there is less of a chance you could be held responsible for ‘promoting’ the look (and therefore; the sales) of new wool. I’d love to hear your opinions on this.

My Favorite of their Autumn tees is the Benazir Bhutto, olive organic cotton:
Benazir Bhutto tee

Tell your women-friends that Turk + Taylor also makes magical garments for them!

Turk + Taylor Spring 08 Ladies
Turk + Taylor Autumn 08 Ladies

Above: shuffleboard jumper, sustainable silk, light green/natural
Below: Snow angel blouse, organic cotton, gray; trouser, recycled wool, red; weekend bag, recycled wool & denim, organic cotton lining, black/red
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If you want to place an order, please send an email to shop@turkandtaylor.com with the style and size desired. Find out which stores are carrying Turk + Taylor by clicking HERE.