Real retro connoisseurs are like treasure hunters. They have a regular circuit of second-hand and thrift stores they hit to find that one statement piece, that conversation starter. If you love retro but don't have the time to scour used racks, or if you just can't bring yourself to wear second hand, there are a few brands that have perfected contemporary vintage. Kate and Kass (by Anya Teresse), Karen Zambos Vintage Couture, Anna Korte Vintage Couture, and Tucker (by Gaby Basora) are three time capsule brands you can depend on for modern, fresh interpretations of vintage from eras gone by. From feminine, summery frocks to sultry evening wear and weekend lounge, vintage is how hipsters dress up!

Sometimes you buy pieces knowing very well they have short shelf lives. Being a slave to trend and packrat can fill up your closet in a hurry! You're out of space—the hanger rod is bowing, and you'd need a trip to IKEA for more drawer space. Something's gotta go, no reason to hoard something you haven't touched in years. Say goodbye to that leather car coat gathering dust. It made you look like a club security guard anyway. But wait, don't even think about throwing it out! There's someone out there that's dying to find the finishing piece to his goony doorman look. Your forgotten jacket is that guy's priceless find. There's no such thing as disposable fashion! Someone, somewhere could use that old something of yours.

Parting with pieces you adored is easier when you know they'll find good homes. Places like Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange will buy your bags of old stuff if you're nice. And, what they don't buy you can drop off at your local Goodwill (save that donation slip for taxes!), Salvation Army or Savers. If you're looking for a more significant return for big ticket items, you can take it to the public yourself like the ladies at ShopMyCloset.com.

The point is to recycle whatever you're not wearing anymore. It encourages less consumption of resources (buying new) and reduces waste (throwing away something old but still usable). You won't find everything you need used, but it's worth a look. You can even find recycled vintage jewelry with brands like Anna Korte Vintage Jewelry!

In the tropics, vibrant ethnic prints are a part of life, you wear them all the time and see them everywhere. If you grow up surrounded by them like I did, they're not "exotic," they're everyday normal! I never thought much of it until my college roomie Kelly pointed out that the bright green print on my pajamas was one of the most beautiful ones she's ever seen. Since then, I've been more aware of prints in my wardrobe, and I'm always drawn to collections with big, bold prints. This season's prints brighten everything up: your outfit, your mood, your day!

It's Earth Month, and the prints are so natural and organic feeling that Morgan (our photographer) decided to take this lookbook outdoors. We also wanted a natural beauty that didn't need makeup to shine, and Nicole G. (Look Model Agency), with her great cheekbones, was perfect. We got typical San Francisco weather—it was brisk, dewy, and a little overcast. But, the smell of wet grass definitely felt like spring, and Lisa and Lauren (our stylists) styled the scenes to capture the essence of spring. We hope it inspired you to get outside and play. Don't forget your sunblock! Check out the complete Bohemian Coast Lookbook!

If you're like us, you had no idea that cruelty free wool even existed. But, there's a story behind that favorite merino wool V-neck of yours. We understand why people love merino wool, it has a nice hand feel and most importantly, it doesn't pill! Unfortunately, the source of most of the world's merino wool is Australia, where the treatment of the merino wool sheep is less than humane, in fact, it's downright ghastly (mulesing and live export). The campaign to boycott all Aussie merino wool is gaining momentum, with celebs like Pink and Joaquin Phoenix pressuring the slow moving Australian government to get with the times. So what can we do?

Be a vigilant consumer and find out where your merino wool is coming from, and avoid Australian merino wool as much as possible. There are some eco-friendly wool options like merino wool from New Zealand, where mulesing has been phased out. Big retailers like H&M and Banana Republic have already committed to cruelty free wool. If you can't find the style you want in an eco wool, pick an alternative fabrication. You're probably not wearing a lot of merino wool for spring anyway, but when fall comes around, keep the sheep in mind!

We've been fans of Sharon Wauchob for a while. The Central St. Martins grad is loved for her originality, and Wauchob's creative collections made her a UK favorite. She's starting to get noticed internationally too. Collection K is Wauchob's diffusion line, but this isn't like most bridge collections you know. The conceptual richness and quality aren't compromised, and nothing is lost in translation from the Sharon Wauchob collection to Collection K. Fans of Wauchob love her inventive style and willingness to make her own rules. Her intricate gathering, draping and fanciful stitching are all faithfully represented in full with Collection K. The Collection K fabrics are definitely Wauchob worthy, in silk and silk blends for spring 2008. We're still ecstatic that we can finally afford her stuff!

Carbon dioxide emissions are public enemy number one when it comes to global warming. The climate crisis is real, and it's time to change the way you shop, live, work, travel, and think. If you run a business or have any influence in how things are run at your workplace, there's something you can do to reduce the environmental footprint (negative impact) of your office, company, and employees. Tobi has achieved a reduced carbon footprint by supporting carbon emissions offset projects through Carbonfund.org, and you can do the same. All of our shipping is offset! By joining Carbonfund.org you can help stave off rising temperatures by supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation.

It's that time. As wonderfully colorful as spring is, the color we're most excited to wear when the sun comes out is white! And luckily for us, the one staple we're finding on every runway this season is a version of the little white dress! At once sweet, sexy, dressed up and feminine, it'll be easy this season to find a little white dress that works for you. With the draping and body conscious trends prominent, there's a lot of styles and fabrications to choose from. You can go with luxe silk, casual cotton , breezy chiffon, and even eco with bamboo!

Where is Penfield? Somewhere on the trail between outdoorsman and DJ. Established in 1975, Penfield started out making down jackets for people that really do spend time outside, so the outerwear is tested against extreme elements and will perform. But, there's more layers to Penfield than durable ripstop shells and dependable parkas—the casual sportswear pieces are made with the same quality and attention to detail.

Our favorite piece? The Harrington Trailwear Jacket. This is one of the most interesting takes on the bomber jacket. We love the trenchcoat inspired gunflap panel!

When athletes, actresses, musicians and musicians' girlfriends start clothing lines, everyone enjoys a good chuckle. But when bona fide style icons like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen start a clothing line, everyone gets in line for a dressing room. Named after their younger sister and older brother, Elizabeth and James is Mary-Kate and Ashley's new contemporary sportswear line. It's a collaboration with Peter Koral and Jane Siskin (LaRok), with the twins serving as design consultants for the brand. At Coterie (NYC) in February, we asked Mary-Kate about the nature of the "consultant" title. Mary-Kate assured us that she and Ashley are not just faces to sell the brand, that they have a direct hand in designing the Elizabeth and James collection, even sourcing some of the fabrics. Their direction shows up in the personality of the Elizabeth and James brand, as the line takes a little from each sister's style aesthetic.

Mary-Kate's willingness to do couture every day is evident in the corset inspired detailing of the body conscious Kitten Dress (that's a detachable halter bra so you can wear it strapless!), as well as the luxe drape and volume of the bubble hemmed Cocoon Dress. Ashley's dressed up androgynous looks are captured in pieces like the Tux Shirt and Charlie Pant. But what exactly is the Elizabeth and James story?

And, who is the Elizabeth and James girl? Ashley envisions a girl in her "early 20s, figuring out life and just experimenting. It's a sophisticated woman with a playful side and is still chic. It's someone that understands fashion and understands details and expects that as well."

When we first saw eco-friendly designer Sara Kirsner's Doie collection last fall, we instantly fell in love with the soft bamboo jersey loungewear and the Asian influenced dress silhouettes. We were excited to see the bamboo jersey again for spring, as it's ideal for the season's draping trend. Kirsner lives in dresses, and the Doie Spring 2008 "Alus Collection" features several body conscious, sculpted frocks.

The signature loungewear is back too, along with our favorite Doie piece—the must-have Hoodie! This time it's in black with bamboo print silk trim.

When we started Tobi, we wanted to offer the coolest selection of brands, but we also wanted to do something more, something to represent our city, our community. Being a San Francisco based business gives us unique perspective. Activist at heart, San Francisco has taken the lead on eco initiatives and is one of the world's greenest cities. Eco-Tobi is what identifies us and keeps us rooted within our community. Without Eco-Tobi we'd be just another online store, and that was never our intention. Offering clients green alternatives isn't just responsible, it's good business. Of course, what good is eco-fashion if fashionable people avoid it like the plague? When we buy for Eco-Tobi, we make sure to appeal to fashion sense first, choosing collections we'd actually wear too. Everything in Eco-Tobi is stuff you'd wear and use anyway, and the fact that it's better for you and the environment is a pleasant surprise kind of snuck in there, a huge cherry on top! Looking for purple skinny jeans? Go with Good Society's Slim Leg Jeans in Brittany and make a difference in a child's life. We like brands like Del Forte and Panda Snack because they look great on; we love them because they're eco too!

To commemorate the greenest day of the year, we asked our Eco-Tobi designers to share a few thoughts with us. Check out our special Earth Day From the Designer section to read all the responses from all of our Eco-Tobi designers including Edun, Loomstate, Doie, Lara Miller, Envirosax, Kimberley Sayer, Good Society and more!

Here's a sample from Yoshiko of Juara:

JUARA Yoshiko Roth, Founder What are your plans for Earth Day? Take a super-short shower in the morning to save water! Remind our staff of the small ways we can save electricity at the office and reduce waste on a day-to-day basis: unplugging appliances after using them, turning lights off where not needed, recycling, etc. On April 22, I will go to EarthNight, organized by Earth Day New York for a special social networking party. Name one issue that needs more of our attention, and what can we do to make a difference? I find mass consumption to be one of the biggest issues that need to be addressed. It is not only the items and products themselves that can be a problem for the environment, but it is the sheer mass of what we consume that is growing to be a threat. The fact that more and more products are made from renewable resources or earth-friendly material does not mean that we can consume masses of them. Example: if a pair of jeans is made from organic cotton, that is great, but if you buy and wear 10 pairs of them, you're not doing the environment a favor. If you buy an electric car or a hybrid, that's great, but it would be even better to consistently use public transportation and minimize your driving altogether. Etc. Each of us can take little steps to reduce our individual mass consumption patterns. Do I really need to buy an additional car? Can I walk to work instead? Do I really need to own 10 pairs of jeans? Do I need a new paper cup each time I get a cup of coffee, or can I just bring one of my own mugs?

Read more Eco-Tobi Earth Month features:

You rode your bike to work and ate organic. It's Earth Day and you're in the spirit! You're also in need of some basics. Spring sun is peeking out and summer is just around the corner. If you're the T-shirt and jeans type, there's no excuse for shopping anything other than green.

There are so many graphic tees in organic cotton and bamboo you can fill up your entire wardrobe and still not have exhausted a quarter of the Eco-Tobi selection. If graphic prints are too busy for you there's solid basic options in a variety of crew and V-necks. The point is, if you need basic tees, why not try organic cotton or bamboo? Same goes for jeans. In Eco-Tobi you can find every denim fit in a natural indigo dye, as well as a variety of colored denim options.

T-shirt and jeans are zero maintenance, and should be zero footprint too!

Every Eco-Tobi brand is a positive force, making a difference by choosing to run a socially and environmentally responsible business. Some of these brands take the enlightenment a little further by volunteering or donating a percentage of their profits to causes they care about. Here's a list of Eco-Tobi brands and the causes they support with their money, time and hearts.

 

TOMS

Donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold.

 

THREADS FOR THOUGHT

Donates to various charities.
- IRC (International Rescue Committee)
- NRDC(Natural Defense Council)
- ENOUGH: The project to end genocide and crimes against humanity.

 

GOOD SOCIETY

Donates 10% of profits to various charities.
- Supports orphans in India
- Supports former child sex slaves in Cambodia
- Supports clean water in underprivileged communities

 

ALBA

Reinvests in their community.
- 28% of their employees volunteer (152 hours a year)
-Supports 48 non-profit organizations
- 31 trees planted

 

REN

Donates 2.5% of profits to campaigns that promote a better environment
and a better life for those less fortunate than ourselves.

 

NATURE GIRL

Donates to various causes with an emphasis on pesticide free organic farming.
- Conservation International
- Organic Farming Research Foundation
- Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
- The Pesticide Action Network
- Riverkeeper

FUZE ORGANICS

Donates 5% of each sale to non-profit organizations of the customer's choice.

 

EDUN

Supports various causes with an emphasis on Africa.
- ALAFA (Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS)

LOOMSTATE

Member of 1% For The Planet.

 

MISSION PLAYGROUND

Donates 1% of sales to various non-profits that share the same
concerns as their S.E.E.D. program: Sustainable Environment &
Educational Development.
http://missionplayground.com/www/2006/02_seed/index.html

 

HELENA DE NATALIO

Donates a percentage of profits to Ashoka, an Argentinian non-profit.

 

PANDA SNACK

Supports various environmental and preservation causes.

 

ANNA KORTE VINTAGE JEWELRY

Member of 1% For The Planet.

 

STEWART AND BROWN

Donates 1% of all sales to non-profits, non-governmental and social welfare organizations.

 

Started by musician Erik Hart and photographer Elliot Hans in 2003, Morphine Generation is an elevated casual collection inspired by music. But, Morphine Generation's guitar hero isn't a mohawked, leather-n-buckle clad caricature. Morphine Generation's edge is alternative at heart, with an ease about it. It's rock and roll energy tempered by a photographer's appreciation for detail and restraint. Overall, the clothes are relaxed with uncomplicated interpretations of drape and body conscious trends. The mood for the men's collection isn't the band on stage during the performance, it's the band in the garage writing the songs. For women, it's similar with a few headliner pieces in the mix, like the Alex Dress and cropped Mini Jacket.

Hart's artwork and musical taste for alternative is expressed in the tees, referencing a classic in "Love Will Tear Us Apart," Joy Division's final offering before the band moved on post-Ian Curtis as New Order, and "Protect Me From What I Want" from the 2003 Placebo album Sleeping with Ghosts. Good taste in music and good taste in clothes, the two always go hand in hand, don't they?

2007 winner of the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award for emerging designer, Dominican native and Parsons grad Jose Ramon Reyes is a name to watch. After working at Helmut Lang, Richard Tyler and Chanel, Jose Ramon started his his own line, Reyes, in 2002 with a collection of tees made from Italian fabrics. Since his debut he's established an identity with polished fabrics and crisp tailoring in feminine silhouettes with precise details. For Spring 2008, Reyes goes aquatic with a nautical theme.

Reyes is an ideal day to night, work to play collection. The spring jackets are the perfect weight for the season. The belted waist jackets are a nice dress up option that don't go overboard, while the drawstring jacket gives you a sportier option.

Ebun, Product Manager What would you name your look? I'd call it an "Old College Professor" look. Give us one big "fashion don't." Wearing white socks with dress shoes.

Sean, Engineer What would you name your look? The Clean-up. Give us one big "fashion don't." The neckbeard.

Of all the Candy Colors this spring, purple is the most prominent. The color of royalty, purple reigns because it has the versatility that's perfect for spring day to night. You can wear it pretty much however you want, on a summer frock, skinny jeans, sporty anorak, shoes, as a solid or print, and in all fabrics from drapey silk to lightweight supima cotton. Purple gives you vibrant contrast with white, and adds seasonal life to greys.

Bamboo, as a resource, is extremely green. It's wildly abundant, pest resistant and incredibly sustainable, with stalks growing about a foot a day with very little water. Bamboo fiber is surprisingly soft and silky, anti-bacterial, odor-free and moisture wicking. Sounds like the answer, right?

The only thing holding bamboo back from a full, consensus endorsement is the lack of an organic certification process. Currently, the production process isn't as transparent as watchdogs would like. And, there are reports of some farmers meeting demand by monocropping bamboo, which kills biodiversity, promotes pests and depletes the soil. A monitored, third-party certification process should work to clean up and discourage bad practice bamboo growing and production. But, even with lingering questions regarding growth and production, bamboo overall is still a far superior, smaller footprint alternative to pesticide dependant conventional cotton and synthetic fabrics. With proper monitoring for growth and production, bamboo will go from green to really green alternative. For the full story, read Mary Logan Barmeyer's informative article "How Green Are Bamboo Clothes?" at National Geographic's Green Guide site.

Eco-Tobi brands using bamboo:
Anja
Coven
Doie
Envirosax
Lara Miller
Opening Ceremony
Panda Snack
Red Flower
United Bamboo

Something we find ourselves saying a lot when scouting brands for Eco-Tobi is, "If only it didn't look so...eco." Stewart and Brown was one of the first designers we picked up for Eco-Tobi because the collection looked like stuff we'd wear anyway: basics and separates for everyday wear. The fact that it's made of organic cotton, Mongolian cashmere and other earth friendly fabrics is a huge plus. Stewart and Brown is exactly the kind of collection to get you started as an eco-friendly consumer. You're shopping for all of these pieces anyway, at a comparable price, so why not go organic?

Stewart and Brown is a member of 1% For The Planet, a group of companies that donate 1% of their profits to non-profit environmental organizations.

Sophistication and elegance are usually the first things you're willing to sacrifice in the name of comfort when spring and summer heat up, but you can't wear a tank to everything. For something light and sophisticated, look at chiffon tops and dresses. Crinkled or flat, chiffon adds a light, ethereal quality to all the spring trends, from bows to prints to drape. Wispy chiffon tops and dresses are great with light, giving you unique draping in semi-sheer for a floating-on-air appearance, or a hint of sheen (from the silk) to really highlight gathering details for evening elegance. United Bamboo, Rag and Bone, Grace Sun, Development, Hera and new Tobi addition, Tony Cohen, are all featuring chiffon this spring.

Opening Ceremony's spring collection for women is in! Similar to what we saw for guys, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim touched all the significant trends in fulfilling their vision of "East Coast relatives visiting West Coast relatives." The Zip Front Bustier Jacket is our feature piece for the body conscious trend, while this Henley Onsie shows us how to make drape daring, and there is certainly no shortage of bows. It's a nice mix of familiar pieces and new additions. The Familiar: The coat we fall in love with again and again, season after season as if seeing it for the first time, the Classic Flare Coat, is back! We last saw it in 100% wool blue plaid, but for Spring 2008, it's grey and lightweight cotton. (BTW, for those of you that have this coat or have tried it on before, recheck your size because it now runs truer to size) Opening Ceremony is the best at adding a twist here and there to transform standards into new and exciting pieces with understated edge. One of our favorites examples is the Bow Sweater cardigan, which for spring, comes in eco-friendly bamboo, perfect for Earth Month! The New Additions: One of the most interesting pieces we've seen for spring is this Bra Top Button Down. With so much going on--bust detailing and back exposure--you'd think this a bit busy but it's in fact pretty cleverly understated as far as statement pieces go. This is how smart girls do sexy. Another statement piece, and it's an anorak! The Cropped Voluminous Anorak takes sporty outerwear and with volume and gather makes it the center of attention. The electric Plum Silk color really pops the shading created by the top-to-bottom ruching. Check out the Spring 2008 lookbooks! World Citizen: Women's Opening Ceremony World CItizen: Men's Opening Ceremony

Even on your days off, when you leave the house wearing a basic tee and jeans, your jewelry never stops talking about you. The accessories you pick for your neck, ears, hands and wrists often reveal more about your personality than your clothes do. Whether you just started integrating more eco into your lifestyle or are a lifetime green warrior, let your jewelry make a statement that channels your eco consciousness and social responsibility.

What makes jewelry eco exactly? New York-based Rachel Leigh and San Francisco designer Hovey Lee use eco fabrics like organic hemp for their cords. Hovey Lee also uses recycled metals and biodegradable vegetable dye for painted pieces. Anna Korte Vintage Jewelry doesn't leave a footprint in mines, instead she recycles, scouring archives to find timeless, pre-owned vintage pieces.

Eco-Tobi jewelry brands:
Hovey Lee
Anna Korte Vintage Jewelry
Rachel Leigh

The founding Imitation of Christ designers, Tara Subkoff and Matthew Damhave, march to the beat of a different drummer. They're known for making an art of refurbishing second hand clothes and vintage into one-of-a-kind runway pieces. They've also earned notoriety for runway high jinx and indifference to the fashion press. Locations, like a funeral parlor, and themes, like a big tent circus, are offbeat plays that explored the nature of the designer-press relationship. In spring of 2002, Imitation of Christ pulled a switcheroo: editors entered the show by walking down a runway while models wearing the collection sat in the press seats, taking notes. The following year, they topped that with, what else, topless models pushing Dyson vacuum cleaners. The anti-establishment antics have won them a large artist fan base, which includes actresses Chloe Sevigny (who actually served as their creative director for a while) and Scarlett Johansson. As provocative as the shows are, Imitation of Christ's statement collections are surprisingly easy to wear. After cancelling the fall and winter 2007 collection because of production issues, Subkoff sought to sell the brand to those who could help deliver to the swelling demand. Imitation of Christ is back, but sans Subkoff. New boss and former Sass and Bide chief, Josh Sparks, is reintroducing the brand through a diffusion line that's shorter in name but not in expectation, called Imitation. Take a look and tell us what you think about Imitation for spring 2008.

How do you make green jeans? Besides using organic cotton, you need lots of indigofera tinctoria, the tropical plant that yields natural indigo dye. Natural indigo dyeing techniques are friendlier to the earth and the people handling the dye. Indigo is tricky because it's not water soluble. Natural indigo dyeing is a 4,000-year-old process that elegantly gets around this little hurdle using an ancient fermentation process that doesn't require fixing agents, potentially harmful azo, formaldehyde or hydrosulphite. The natural fermented dye also ends up consuming less water than modern, synthetic techniques, and when finished it is biodegradable.

The indigo mixture is kept in a deep terra cotta pot sunken into the ground, tended vigilantly and mixed every day by skilled artisans. While this is a more expensive production method, the return in indigo quality and saturation richness, not to mention you end up with an earth friendly pair of jeans, makes the process and price worth it.

Eco-Tobi brands using natural indigo dyeing:
Gilded Age
Good Society
Nudie

Here's a vid of the daily handling of the fermentation process by natural indigo dyeing artisans. (He uses his tongue to check the pH level of the dye, it's non-toxic don't worry!)

I love the safari trend, it's my favorite look for spring. It reminds me of far away places and vacations hot spots. I'm going to South Africa for the first time in October, which got me thinking...what would I be wearing there? Each look is inspired by a different designer's interpretation of safari: new designer Valentine Leung look is about bold color and print summer dresses, menswear was the inspiration for Rag and Bone, something cute and playful from Corey Lynn Calter (the giraffe print is so adorable!), soft and silky from Grace Sun, urban edge from Nicholas K, modern cuts from Jamison, and something comfy from Velvet. We wanted to portray the free spirit, out in the wild. The hut set was Morgan's fabulous idea, and Lisa styled the scene to perfection with help from Lauren's feral makeup and Dexter's friends: an albino Burmese python, boa constrictor, bearded dragon, and African tortoise! Dexter is a licensed handler so all the animals were definitely treated with the utmost care and constant supervision. Surprisingly, the snakes were so beautiful that no one was afraid of them. The bearded dragon was a character too, but my heart was set on the 40-year-old African Tortoise. He had so much personality I wanted to sneak him away to hang out in my backyard. BTW he's much heavier than he looks! View Welcome to the Jungle lookbook View Urban Safari Trend Report

Hemp fiber has been used since long before we were a handful of colonies, and actually, without it Columbus wouldn't have had any rope for his ships' rigging. For obvious reasons, the longstanding U.S. campaign to demonize and criminalize hemp (starting in earnest with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937) has taken the plant fiber out of consideration for uses that it previously performed admirably, and better than its wood, cotton, and wool based counterparts. The first paper was made exclusively from hemp, the Declaration of Independence was printed on hemp paper, and canvas was originally a hemp product!

Besides being extremely versatile, hemp is sustainable and better for the environment for several reasons. First, you can harvest more of it per acre, more than twice the yields of cotton. Second, hemp requires far less fertilizer and water, and can be grown without the use of pesticides. Third, its long roots prevent erosion and replenish the soil at the end of a crop rotation.

As a clothing fiber hemp is naturally water resistant, super absorbent, mold resistant, and much stronger than cotton. We've handled a pure hemp suit and must say it felt and moved a lot like linen. There is no good reason for keeping hemp down. While it hasn't received the welcome that organic cotton and bamboo have, the benefits and potential of hemp arguably surpasses both of those established green options.

Eco-Tobi brands using hemp:

TOMS Shoes
Livity
Rachel Leigh
Hovey Lee

 

It's April 9, 2008, the day of the controversial Olympic torch run through San Francisco leading up to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, and we can't help but think about the relationship between fashion and activism as we watch the masses of protesters gathering just outside, ready to express their message to the host nation and the world. In a previous post on British designer Katharine Hamnett, we suggested that fashion at its best is provocative, and fashion activism is a natural collaboration we don't see enough. Today, we're seeing lots of it. Droves of people are wearing their hearts on their sleeves, literally through slogans on clothing. Katharine Hamnett would be proud. The Central Saint Martins grad was the first designer of prominence to tackle environmental, social and political issues head on by speaking out through her clothing. From Wham! wearing "Choose Life," to Naomi wearing "Use A Condom," to the designer herself wearing "58% Don't Want Pershing," to those gathered along the Embarcadero today wearing "Free Tibet," Katharine Hamnett's impact goes well beyond the runway, affecting matters much bigger than seasonal trends. Check out the Spring 2008 collection from Katharine Hamnett. All of the tees are made with 100% certified organic cotton, using water-based, earth friendly ink for the prints.

Designers are rediscovering corset inspired body consciousness. By inspired, we mean capturing all the expression of Victorian and Edwardian period body accentuation without actually tightlacing or constricting a thing. Bust detailing, clever placement of gather, elastic and paneling romantically reference the silhouette sculpting and shaping of a boned corset. This trend is the most dramatic statement you can make this spring!

Araks, Black Halo, Opening Ceremony, Elizabeth & James, Riller & Fount and Fremont

5/20/08 - Just in! Artistic Impression: The Body-Conscious Lookbook.

Beauty can be the beast if you're using harsh synthetic based products on your body and face. If you're looking to turn a new leaf and infuse a little eco into your lifestyle this Earth Month, start with your makeup bag, shower basket and beauty cabinet. There's a natural, earth friendly Eco-Tobi alternative for everything from lipbalm to eye cream to shampoo and conditioner. It won't take long before you're won over by the pure clean you get from organic and natural ingredients.

Eco-Tobi Beauty Brands Alba Botanica Hamadi Juara Juice Beauty Kimberly Sayer Korres Nature Girl Pangea Organics Ren

Last year, way back in September, we gave you a Sneak Peek of an eco-friendly, cruetly-free and sweatshop free line of shoes called Keep. They've finally arrived, just in time for Earth Month!

Keep is an Eco-Tobi women's footwear line, but guys can, and often do, get the high-tops, which are a great way for the edgier Avant Casual dressers to show their seasonal spirit in lively spring colors. Keep goes all the way up to a women's size 12 to accomodate the guys, but, make no mistake, despite the unisex print campaign, founders Margot Jacobs and Una Kim are firm in their positioning of Keep as a women's line. While they appreciate guys rocking their kicks, Kim states straight up, Keep will never make men's shoes.

Jacobs and Kim's inspiration for starting the line was frustration over guys getting all the cool sneaker designs. After having to buy guys' shoes in boys' sizes, and constantly dealing with annoying size conversions, we can understand the sentiment. The styles are a fun, resorty mix of quirky prep and seaside lounge.