High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens looks totally adorable in boyfriend Zac Efron’s plaid shirt, and with a few easy DIY tips courtesy of the Prom Mafia, you too could be rocking the feminized version of the classic men’s button-down.

All you’ll need is an old shirt from your dad, brother, boyfriend, or BFF, some simple tailoring to emphasize the waist, and easy alterations to the sleeves. (Follow along with the visual aids here.)

Wear it as a minidress with espadrilles like Vanessa, or with leggings or jeans if you’re less daring about bare legs. The men’s detailing means you have license to go hog wild with jewelry and accessories, so have at it!

Fellas, know that we love you, we just have such a hard time finding well-priced eco-fashion for the men. But today, success!

Timberland’s “Chelsea” boots from its Earthkeepers collection are about to go on sale during Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale, starting Friday. (See Page 79 of the online catalogue.)

Timberland’s website describes the eco-features so nicely, we want them to come in women’s sizes too:

Our Earthkeepers™ range features tough, rugged footwear made with the environment in mind. Thanks to moisture-wicking linings made from recycled materials, organic cotton content, rugged outsoles made with Green Rubber™ material and the all-day softness of leather from a silver-rated tannery, they’re durable, lightweight and always a talking point. This is laid-back comfort — with a conscience.

What all that means is a sole made from 42 percent recycled rubber and an organic cotton canvas lining that also incorporates 100 percent recycled PET mesh fabric. And more urban-rugged style than you can shake a stick at.

Timberland Earthkeepers “Chelsea” Boots, $99.90 at Nordstrom.com (starting July 16).

Grotesque photoshop jobs are most often a women’s issue, affecting more female models than male. But now athlete Lance Armstrong — who is currently competing for his eighth Tour de France title — knows what it feels like to see the finished product bear little resemblance to reality.

And he’s not happy about it.

On the July cover of Outside magazine, the cyclist poses in a tee-shirt that reads “38. BFD.” (That is to say, he is 38 years old and is still a big freakin’ deal.) Only problem is, the shirt he really wore was blank; the editors added in the copy in post-production.

Annoyed at the revisionist history, Mr. Armstrong used his Twitter account to call the retouching job “lame” and “weak.”

And if he was really unaware that he’d be depicted wearing something with an arrogant slogan, we’re inclined to agree.

It seemed like international skating sensation Johnny Weir made bigger headlines this winter over his choice to wear fur than he did for his figure skating routine at the Vancouver Olympics — proving what a hot-button issue fur continues to be among the PETA set.

This week, he spoke to New York Magazine about why his preference for fur is an informed choice, and what we can expect to see from him fashion-wise in the future:

You encountered a spot of trouble earlier this year for wearing a bit of fur on one of your skating outfits. Do you own a lot of fur?
I do have a lot of fur. I’m a big fan of fur. I’m not a fan of nutria or fake fur and I’ve taken a lot of flack for that, but it’s just a choice that I make. I travel a lot to Russia and it’s usually in winter when I’m in Russia, so you can’t walk around in a plastic coat and plastic boots when it’s minus 40 degrees. I’m from the country, I’ve gone hunting, so I know what happens. I know everything there is to know about the fur industry and I choose to wear fur.

He also reports he has a men’s clothing line in the works, about which he says: “I want Chanel quality, of course — a different price point, but of course Chanel quality.” Love him or hate him, you have to give it to him that he knows what he wants and where he stands on fashion ethics.

Microfinance is the hottest thing in philanthropy at the moment. Charitable organizations support entrepreneurship in developing countries by giving small grants or loans to people with great business ideas but no capital to make it happen. Women in particular benefit greatly from these programs.

As an example of one such successful endeavor, the Kohtrad Silk Project is making magic happen for silk weavers in the Isaan region of northeast Thailand. Farquhar Simpkin, Kohtrad’s founder, emailed us about the project this morning:

There are many independent silk weavers scattered around the Isaan area.  Many can not speak English and do not know how to market their products online.  So the aim of the project is to bring the silk weavers together and give them an online platform to sell their products to the world.

The silk weavers receive good fair trade pay for their talented work, and the income generated from the project will help many of the weavers to pay school fees for their children, build a business, stay in the area, enjoy their everyday work and keep their silk weaving skills and traditions alive.

For every silk men’s shirt sold, Kohtrad is reinvesting 10 percent of the profits in Kiva.org‘s microfinance program, so that other small business owners around the world can get their own foot in the door. And 50 percent of the profits from the sale of Kohtrad’s silk scarves and shawls has been pledged to building an internet hub for the use of the residents of Isaan.

Did we mention the scarves are absolutely beautiful? And ideal for anyone still looking for a Father’s Day gift…

Kohtrad Silk Project Black and Gold Silk Scarf, $22.10 at SilkScarfShawls.com.

OK, so like a lot of people, we love American Apparel’s awesome tee-shirts and commitment to ethical ideals.

But the company’s Best Bottom Contest is all kinds of wrong.

American Apparel recently posted photos of the scantily clad winners’ assets on its website and we’re vaguely horrified over the blatant objectification of the models, both male and female. But maybe not as horrified as we are about the new ads for the mesh collection. Which we will not be buying.

Look, we love a little junk in the trunk as much as the next person, but we don’t need to see this up-close-and-personal angle on blog ads. It’s a total turn-off. American Apparel should ask themselves, Is creeping out the consumer base really worth it?

In this case, you can judge a book by its cover.

The perfect gift for the grad with an English major, these soft vintage-style tees for men and women from Out of Print feature 22 different classic book covers, from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged to Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.

And best of all, your purchase has two beneficiaries — not just the gift-getter, but also a library in need in Africa. The website proudly describes its mission:

In addition to spreading the joy of reading through our tees, we acknowledge that many parts of the world don’t have access to books at all. We are working to change that. For each shirt we sell, one book is donated to a community in need through our partner Books For Africa.

How we read is changing as we move further into the digital age. It’s unclear what the role of the book cover will be in this new era, but we feel it’s more important than ever to reflect on our own individual experiences with great literary art before it’s forever changed.

What’s your story? Wear it proud.

Catcher in the Rye Tee, $28 at OutofPrintClothing.com.

With summer just around the corner, I know I’m desperately in need of replacing some old tee-shirts. Luckily American Apparel has come through in the clutch with an awesome Friends & Family code that gives a 30 percent discount on everything.

“Everything” would include the brand’s kickass new nail polish line as well as its collection of organic tees for men and women. (And if you need a refresher on why American Apparel’s vertically integrated manufacturing is super eco, you can find it here.)

Just enter code AA5112414524FFd during checkout now through Sunday to take 30 percent off your whole order. Feel free to share with your friends too. Not a bad way to kick off the weekend!

Organic Fine Jersey Short Sleeve Tee, $18 at AmericanApparel.net.

When it comes to men’s eco-fashion bloggers, Brad at Commerce With A Conscience has irrevocably stolen our hearts. And we’re really excited to be able to promote his new Product Guide, perfect for the ethically stylish man (or man in your life).

The Product Guide features Brad’s picks for the crème de la crème of men’s fashion. Right now there are 20 brands featured, from well-known stalwarts like People Tree and Izzy Lane to new-to-us designers like Knowledge (holy perfect dress shirt!).

Users can sort by brand, category, price range, and even “ethical attribute” — like “certified fair trade” or “made in the USA.” Pretty nifty, and it makes comparison shopping a snap.

Check out the whole product guide here.

Knowledge Woven Poplin Shirt in Twilight Check, €95 ($130 in USD) at KnowledgeCottonApparel.com.

DIYers are, by nature, a creative bunch, but we have to give props to DIY Couture for being more creative than most.

The London-based studio recognizes that when you can customize your clothes to your own specifications, you’re more likely to love what you’re wearing. So the designers there peddle books and advice rather than off-the-rack garments. (Guys are welcome, too!)

Rosie Martin, one of the founders of DIY Couture, wrote us about what it is they do:

We are a fashion brand, but instead of buying the garments from our collection, people buy books which help them to make the items themselves. The books are beautifully designed picture books that are accessible to the creatively inexperienced i.e. anyone can make their own clothes. The antithesis of fast fashion, DIYcouture helps people to create one-off garments that are personally tailored. These garments are original, unique and will be treasured forever.

Pretty cool stuff — kind of like those paint-your-own-pottery places, but wearable art. For a sampling of the studio’s most successful projects, check out the gallery here.