(Courtesy of TheGlamourai.com)

Just dropping E.S. readers a note that we’re taking a mini-vacation starting tomorrow, but we’ll be back with all-new blog content on Wednesday, September 8.

In the meantime, here are some ways to say goodbye to summer and celebrate the beginning of fall:

• Thumb through every single page of ad and editorial content in the 726-page September issue of Vogue, featuring the first cover model of color in 20 years. Spend the rest of the weekend trying to copy Halle Berry’s perfect smoky eye.
• Purge your closet and take your rejects into the thrift or consignment store. Come home with a few new seasonal staples.
• Wash and pack away your summer clothing, but follow these tips to ensure safe storage of your favorite sundresses and summer-weight cashmere.
• Tackle a fun but time-consuming DIY project. Need inspiration? Check our archives.
• Forget outdated style rules, like the one that forbids the wearing of white after Labor Day. Hasn’t anyone heard of  ”winter white”? Come on!

(Courtesy of Vogue U.K.)

Becoming a mother changed my life in the biggest way ever. You become a lot more conscious of yourself and your relationship to the environment and to other people. You become a living example of what your children live by. And they teach you to be very present and in the moment.

From an environmental perspective, at first I focused on the external environment—pollution, all of those things—but now that I’ve been on this journey for 10 years in a major way I’m realizing how everything is so interconnected. It’s not only external—it’s internal. It’s taking it down from the macro to the micro in our communities: How we interact with one another and our families and values.

If we’re aligned and connected we make choices that impact the larger whole in a positive way.

– Retired supermodel Angela Lindvall on her evolving view of the importance of eco-fashion. Read the whole interview to find out her favorite eco-beauty companies and designers.

(Courtesy of Zappos.com)

Shoes are a tricky territory for eco-fashion lovers. If you avoid leather for environmental reasons, finding stylish, walkable shoes proves a recurring problem. But wearing pleather is neither comfortable nor ecologically sound.

So maybe that’s why we’re particularly drawn to Naya Shoes. Featuring chrome-free leather and suede, nickel-free hardware, biodegradable latex foam footbeds, and recycled elastic, these shoes take a holistic approach to eco-design.

In addition to its commitment to carefully considered materials, the company manages to stay on-trend. Rock the hot clog look with the Irina slip-ons. Try a T-strap on for size with the Timpa sandals. But our favorite? The pleated peep-toe Ana booties. Yum.

There’s a bunch of styles on sale at Zappos, so you can stock up on next summer’s sandals right now. (And with free overnight shipping, you can have them just in time for Labor Day festivities.)

Naya Shoes “Ana” Booties, $149 at Zappos.com.

(Courtesy of PeopleTree.co.uk)

Emma Watson strikes us as the type of intelligent, thoughtful actress who really considers the impact her fashion choices can have on her young fans. So we are pleased to see this open letter on fair-trade brand People Tree’s website posted by the Harry Potter star, following a summer trip to Bangladesh with People Tree founder Safia Minney:

The contrast between the slums in Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh) where the people who work in the garment factories live and Swallows (the Fair Trade community supported by People Tree) was all too apparent. …

I cannot imagine how I would have the mental ability and strength to go into the garment factories in the slums everyday and have my children living six hundred miles away.

We interviewed a woman in the slum in Dhaka. She was very candid about the fact that there just wasn’t any hope for her. There is no hope for anyone living in those conditions and being paid that kind of wage. Coming to Swallows I see that there is an alternative.

The living conditions are modest but it’s clean and there is a real sense of community, their families are together and they seem to love and be proud of what they are doing – many things that we in the West take for granted.

Swallows is special and I need to believe for my own peace of mind that there will be more places like this in the developing countries in the world.

The whole interview is worth reading for its candid look at the benefits fair-trade manufacturing offers workers, and it concludes with a video of Ms. Watson touring Bangladesh and modeling People Tree’s fall collection.

(Courtesy of JunebugWeddings.com)

The New York Times has an article today that makes our skin crawl: Bedbugs have made their home in clothes sold at a number of vintage shops and flea markets throughout New York. And shoppers are unwittingly bringing home more than they bargained for.

The article hits the point that the problem may not be contained to the five boroughs. How to protect yourself? Bridgett Artise, a Fashion Institute of Technology instructor who taught a spring course named “Is Vintage For You?”, has some good advice:

“I only worry about newbies, new vintage shoppers,” Ms. Artise said. “People like myself already know the telltale signs, and what to do. The first thing I always tell people who buy vintage clothing is if they see any type of anything that looks like it might have remnants of bedbugs, put it in a plastic bag and freeze it. You keep it in there, I would say, for at least three days. It can’t survive freezing. And after it thaws out, I would take it to a dry cleaner.”

An ounce of prevention, vintage-philes.

(Pixiebell/Etsy.com)

Excited for fall yet? We are — we’re having dreams of cozy layers and camel coats every night, it seems. One of the hottest trends for cool weather we’re looking forward to most is the chunky knit. And this is one trend that the eco-movement has adopted with gusto.

Etsy is a wonderland for hand-crocheted head gear; we’ve picked our well-priced handmade favorites below.

• Beanie: HeadThreadz’s Slacker Beanie ($20) will appeal to your inner hippie. This unisex hat is handcrafted from vegan-friendly acrylic yarn in a loose knit, making it a nice weight for transition weather (but perhaps a bit light for the dead-of-winter cold).
• Beret: Make a big first impression with SavannahDreams’ Hot Pink Beret ($21). It’s knitted from cotton yarn with a pretty ridged design that will dress up and down with ease.
• Cloche: Pixiebell’s Knit Cloche Hat ($35) is the answer to your flapper dreams. The ’20s style hat is snug fitting and made from a soft wool blend. We particularly like the amber button and the pitch-perfect goldenrod color for fall.
• Fisherman’s cap: Stay snuggly and stylish in AlliGiori’s Fisherman Slouch Hat ($19.50). The tight weave will keep you warm against the worst winter can throw at you.
• Newsboy: BTRFlyMom’s Celebrity Style Newsboy Hat ($24) would enable you to fit right in among Hollywood’s boho crowd. The cotton hat features a twee brim and can be customized with a knit flower for an extra $2.

(Courtesy of Jezebel.com)

Jezebel is really on the ball lately when it comes to spotting photoshop disasters in fashion advertising. The latest offender: London Fog, which recently hired Mad Men‘s curvaceous Christina Hendricks to star in its fall ad campaign.

The trouble is, her famous curves are way less recognizable after London Fog’s photo retouchers overzealously took the Liquefy filter to her waist, hips, and even her wrists. The proof is in these photos — candids from the shoot compared with the finished product. There’s really no question that she’s been digitally slimmed down.

Why any brand would go to the trouble to hire Christina Hendricks — the proud poster child for curvy girls — and then change her proportions in post-production is beyond us. Talk about missing the forest for the trees.

(Courtesy of LaurenceKing.com)

Selena Francis-Bryden’s new book DIY Fashion: Customize and Personalize is the latest addition to our must-read list. A guide featuring DIY fashion that you can do without a Singer, Ms. Francis-Bryden walks readers through a variety of projects that require only the most basic handiness with a needle and thread.

The book’s 40 fun projects include guidance on transforming an oversize sweater into a sweater dress, cutting a denim miniskirt, and designing an animal-print evening bag — all without the use of a sewing machine.

It’s not on Amazon yet, but you can purchase it directly from the publisher today for $24.95.

(via Treehugger)

(Courtesy of LoveAndCasinoWar.com)

As fashion’s heaviest hitters duke it out over intellectual property and design copyrights, fast fashion and streamlined manufacturing in Asia have made it easier than ever to translate trends into retail in record time. Sometimes it’s legal, sometimes it’s not. But in any case, is it ethical?

In this issue, we take a look at the reasons counterfeit goods have gone mainstream and when you should just say no to knockoffs:

• Is there really nothing new under the sun anymore? We ponder why knockoffs have become so prevalent.
• Evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller makes the case that we are biologically hardwired to seek out status symbols — and whether they are authentic is besides the point. With that in mind, we review his well-researched book Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior.
• In the same vein, you may wonder – is buying fake every ethically warranted? Madison explores the problems and benefits of buying into trends.
• If you’re a dedicated online shopper, you want to make sure you’re not getting ripped off by knockoffs. But how? This handy guide to avoiding fakes will steer you in the right direction.
• And as always, check out Seam Ripper for more news and developments on the fakery front.

(Courtesy of Bloomingdales.com)

It happens once a year, but it’s today: Save 15 percent on your purchase at Bloomingdales.com during its Fashionable Fundraiser to support amFAR’s AIDS research.

Bloomies is making a $75,000 donation to amFAR and discounting thousands of items 25 to 40 percent as part of the Fashionable Fundraiser sale.

To get 15 percent off (or 20 percent off if you’re a Bloomies cardholder and you spend more than $300), just enter code FFSAVE at checkout. But hurry, because the code expires at midnight.

BCBGMaxAzria “Graphic Waves” Side Shirred Dress, $118.50 at Bloomingdales.com.