The internet was abuzz this week regarding Alexander McQueen’s final collection, and it made us nostalgic for the late designer’s signature looks.

McQueen transformed skulls from goth to high-fashion, and in homage to that trend comes these miniature skull earrings by Etsy jewelry all-star Michelle Chang.

Handmade by Ms. Chang in her Brooklyn studio, these earrings are available in 14-karat gold, sterling silver, gold vermeil, and with or without diamond chips in the eye sockets. We think they’re a charming way to pay tribute to one of fashion’s great visionaries, and support an up-and-coming designer in her own career.

Michelle Chang Baby Skull Earrings in 14K Gold, $198 at Etsy.com.

As we wrote last month, fur was huge on the runways of New York Fashion Week, but apparently the trend is more significant than we realized. The New York Times is reporting that 2010 marks the first year that a majority of the designers presenting collections used fur.

The question of “why?” is complex to answer. Programs like Origin Assured have resonated with consumers, reassuring them that their fur was humanely farmed.

And on the design side, a lot has changed. Some holdouts have always used fur (like Oscar de la Renta), but some PETA converts of the ’90s have since changed their minds (like Ralph Lauren) and young designers are increasingly accepting of the product (like Irina Shabayeva of Project Runway fame, whose F/W 2010 coat is pictured here).

The NYT reports:

Several of those designers are too young to remember the vicious battles over fur in the 1980s and ’90s, when a PETA member tossed a dead raccoon onto the plate of Anna Wintour while she was dining at the Four Seasons; another tossed a tofu cream pie in Mr. de la Renta’s face. But some remain sheepish on the subject. Thakoon Panichgul, for example, showed a coat in his fall collection with strips of fox bursting from the sleeves, but he declined to be interviewed for this article because of the controversy.

Others said they felt confident using fur after examining the chain of production and finding it humane.

“You see so much leather and shearling being used this season, and no one is complaining about that,” [designer Alexa] Adams said. “I don’t see the difference between using shearling and using fur.”

We know you have opinions. Share them in the comments section below.

The Society for Rational Dress has such a great concept: Women deserve freedom from conformity in how they attire themselves. That’s why the label produces unique limited-run garments from batches of surplus fabric — because everyone should have the opportunity to be one-of-a-kind.

So it’s our lucky day that SfRD is having a blowout sample sale this weekend in Los Angeles.

Society for Rational Dress Sample Sale
What: Nab tees for $20-$50; dresses for $35-$90; leather skirts for $85-$150; sweaters for $45-$160; and all other samples, overstock, and one-of-a-kinds at up to 75 percent off retail.
Why: You might even be able to rationalize a pair of shoes.
When: Sat. March 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: The Reserve, Society for Rational Dress Studios, 255 S. Santa Fe Ave., at E. 3rd St., ste. 100, Industrial District (213-613-0757).

(via DailyCandy)

Brad at Commerce With A Conscience reminds us today that shopping in your closet is an art form. It requires just as much focus and dedication as hunting down the perfect cashmere scarf at an end-of-season sale. Only it’s much cheaper and a little easier because your closet is already edited down to stuff that has, at one point or another, caught your eye.

So get a head start on your spring cleaning by starting with your overstuffed closet. CWAC advises the following:

Shopping from yourself is a personal experience, so each person’s trip will be different. Make sure to stay focused and selective. Pay attention to the item. If it needs repairs or a polish, do it. Tailoring is cheaper than buying something new (and it is always good to support your local seamstresses). Wear items on a regular basis (or pick a specific day and wear them in combinations). Call attention to your new purchase. Don’t be afraid to wear dressy items just because their original purchase price might warrant extra care. Wear eccentric items for non-traditional applications – while cycling or visiting the dog park or grocery store (these are good places to practice outfits).

We’re all about the dog park fashion show. Are you motivated yet?

Kate Spade is no stranger to being knocked off by Canal Street bag peddlers, but now the preppy bag line is the one facing accusations of copying a lesser-known designer.

Parisian designer Olympia Le-Tan called Kate Spade “a big fat copycat” on Twitter last month after Kate Spade came out with a line of classic-paperback themed bags that suspiciously mirrored Le-Tan’s own sought-after clutches. (That tweet has since been deleted.)

Salon.com reports:

And considering that Le-Tan’s line got a fair amount of press right here in the company’s home turf of New York City when it debuted last fall, it seems a little peculiar that the concept went entirely unnoticed by the more famous bag maker.

[Kate Spade], which is owned by Liz Claiborne, certainly wouldn’t be the first to draw “inspiration” from the work of lesser-known designers, but there is something particularly galling about a staid house apparently glomming on to a younger designer’s work — especially when said work has brought the artist such high acclaim.

Pictured above: Kate Spade’s clutch (left) faces off against Olympia Le-Tan’s bag (right).

(via CounterfeitChic)

On May 6, there will be a new eco-fashion capital: Lodz, Poland. That’s where the second annual RE-ACT Fashion Show will rock the runways with dead stock and upcycled designs.

The show will feature the debut of London-based eco-brand Goodone’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection. (One of the line’s prettiest dresses for spring is pictured at left.)

And if you’re a fashion innovator, listen up: There’s a contest for young designers to honor the best recycling collection. The prize? 15,000 Polish zloty (or about $5,300 USD). That could buy a lot of food for starving artists.

The event will kick off the Spring 2010 FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week, so it’s worth your time to stick around afterwards.

Here’s a subject we haven’t considered before.

Susie Orbach, the foremost British psychologist on issues of body image and author of the book Fat Is A Feminist Issue, has accused lingerie companies of misleading the public by hiring models who have had breast augmentations to pose in their goods:

“I have plenty of clinical evidence to show that surgically enhanced models create a situation in which young women and girls feel inadequate,” Ms Orbach said. “They begin to think about how they can get their breasts to look like the ones that they see on ads. They feel dispirited because even though they know these images don’t necessarily relate to ‘natural’ bodies, they appear to be the norm and they feel left out.”

This reminds us of the controversy over using false eyelashes in mascara commercials, an issue over which a Rimmel ad was banned in 2007. But let’s open it up to the commenters: Do you feel inadequate when looking at lingerie ads featuring models who have surgically enhanced their bustlines?

If you’ll be in London next month, make a point to stop by the U.K. Aware 2010 exhibition from April 16-17. This is the third annual event and this year features 200 booths and 50 guest speakers who will show you how to give your life a green makeover.

E.S. friend TRAID will be there to lead DIY projects to update your old closet workhorses.

According to the event organizers, the £6 cover charge will net you the following perks:

• The Green Machines Expo: the UK’s largest showing of low carbon vehicles.
• The Green Business Start-up Surgery: an oasis of solutions for budding entrepreneurs to help make dreams become reality.
• Clothes swapping party: a chance for anyone to get a completely new to you wardrobe without damaging the environment or spending a penny.
• Kids area: shows and interactive activities designed to inspire young minds…a perfect Easter holiday outing!
• Morsbags: an oasis of creative surprises and haberdashery delights — voted best feature by our visitors last year.

Register here for the early-bird discount!

“I’m wearing a dress made for me by Orsola de Castro. She is behind one of my favourite labels, From Somewhere, and is totally on my wavelength. Orsola is the queen of upcycling so everything about the dress has been salvaged from the waste bins of some very prestigious labels, no less, so my dress will be made from waste but you’d never know. I’m also wearing ethical pink diamonds from Australia, by Cajella (on loan of course), and my bag has been made for me by Bruno at Roger Vivier from offcuts. It’s really beautiful.”

– Livia Firth, wife of Best Actor nominee Colin Firth, on her elegant eco-pick for Oscar night. Want your own From Somewhere dress at a fraction of the price? Check out the brand’s new collaboration with U.K. discount retailer Tesco.

Does “high-fashion fanny pack” seem like a contradiction in terms? Suspend your disbelief for a moment, just long enough to check out the fanny clutch by upcycling designer Fahmina.

The beauty of the clutch design is that it adds no bulk to your hips (because honestly, what woman wants to add inches there?) while keeping your hands free and fitting in all your daily essentials.

But Fahmina also has an eco-secret: Her accessories been made with 95 percent reclaimed and “precycled” leather that’s been salvaged from other designers’ waste bins. Other leatherworkers throw away “defective” leather by the ton for something as little as a scratch. Fahmina works by hand around the defects for a piece that is still high-quality but a little less wasteful.

Envelope Fanny Clutch, $180 at Fahmina.com.

(via YourDailyThread.com)