(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 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.

It used to be that fakes were easily spotted a mile away — the “Channel” purses and “Goach” wallets were dead giveaways that you had probably picked it up on a trip to New York’s Canal Street.

(Courtesy of Naco-Paris.com)

But the Internet has allowed counterfeit fashion to proliferate, and even seemingly trustworthy websites are getting busted for selling fakes. Most recently, sale shoppers everywhere were disappointed to learn that sample sale clearinghouse Hautelook.com is on the receiving end of a lawsuit from Cartier for selling “inauthentic” watches and jewelry.

The reason that more people are getting duped by dupes? As Chinese factory operations have become more streamlined, efficient, and experienced, the quality of counterfeit goods has increased — as has volume. Especially in a slow economy when Chinese factories are sitting around with nothing to do, the answer is often “fake it ’til you make it.”

As we’ve covered before, the Internet has been a godsend to con men and women everywhere trying to pass off bogus goods as real. And it’s not just Louis Vuitton getting knocked off anymore. Counterfeit midmarket goods like Ugg Australia boots and Anya Hindmarch bags are springing up all across the web at prices close to retail but just discounted enough to entice deal-hunters into thinking they’ve scored.

So how do you protect yourself from unwittingly buying a fake? Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you buy online:

• Where was the item manufactured? A whopping 79 percent of counterfeit goods come from China. And while many apparel brands have moved their manufacturing operations to cost-friendly Asia, not all have. If you receive a product bearing a “Made in China” tag when you know it should have been assembled in America or Italy, you’ve been bamboozled.
• What’s the seller’s reputation? On eBay, iOffer, or Bonanzle, anyone can become a seller of goods — genuine or not — overnight. Feedback provides some information, but it’s only as reliable as the people who have gone before you. Try to buy from established boutiques with dedicated customer service departments for some assurance.
• Is the seller an authorized dealer? Check the brand’s website or call customer service to see if you can get a list of authorized sellers. In the Ugg example mentioned above, UggAustralia.com has taken steps to inform consumers on how to spot a fake. Enter the URL of the boutique in its Counterfeit Website Look Up database to see if the company is an authorized dealer. If it’s not, steer clear.
• What’s the return policy? Ideally, a seller will stand behind the product and permit you to return anything for any reason. Then it’s up to you to inspect the item and send it back within the terms of that agreement, so don’t delay in giving your new garment or accessory a thorough once-over until you’re satisfied that you’ve gotten what you bargained for.

(Courtesy of QuinceAndCo.com)

A website that provides not just the tools and supplies you need to get started knitting your very own DIY fall wardrobe, but the patterns and indie fashion ideas too? We had to know more about Quince & Co. the minute we heard about it.

Quince & Co. was founded by two designers and a spinning mill owner with a penchant for natural, sustainably grown fibers. It’s eco through and through, as the website recounts:

We offer wool yarns that are sourced and spun in the US. Known in the trade as “territory wool,” our fiber comes from Merino, Rambouillet, and Columbia-based sheep that roam the ranges of Montana and Wyoming. All our wool and wool-blend yarns are spun in a New England mill with a venerable history. By sourcing our wool in the US and manufacturing our yarn locally, we minimize our carbon footprint.

But, hey, as much as we want to promote our American sheep and yarns, we also want to enjoy the pleasures of fibers that aren’t readily available in the US. We also want to be responsible for what we import. So, when we blend our wool with other fibers, we find out as much as possible where, how, and by whom they came to be. If we’re sourcing a yarn from a plant fiber, we want to know if it was grown in conditions that are healthy for the soil and for those who tend and harvest it.

If we’re looking for an animal fiber, we want to know if the animal was raised in a way that sustains the earth and preserves the culture of the people who raise it.

You can purchase four types of eco-friendly yarns by the skein and download your favorite from a plethora of patterns — from cozy sweaters to stylish berets — for $6 or less. Our entry-level DIY pick? The cuddly Cullin Cowl pictured here, using Quince’s chunky and felted Puffin yarn in “frost.”

(via DailyCandy)

(Courtesy of CovetShop.com)

Perhaps some serious fashion lovers just cleaned out their closets, or maybe collectors are trading in their prized possessions for cash. No matter what the reason, our favorite used clothing and consignment boutiques on the web are stocked right now. Want to see our choicest picks and the best deals? Click on.

• We’re hopelessly in love with CovetShop’s peacock-themed silk sweater tunic by Temperley of London ($237). It’s brand new with tags and priced at almost 80 percent off (the tag says it retailed for $1,035). If you’re a size 8, snatch this one up!
• Still looking for the perfect military jacket? How ’bout this green twill oversize topper by Isabel Marant ($400), for sale at Decades Two?
• At FashionPhile.com, there are a number of authentic vintage Hermès silk scarves up for sale right now. We particularly the L’Armée Imperiale Russe pattern ($195), and it’s almost half the price of a new neckwarmer from the storied French fashion house.
• ConsignmentChic.com has a pair of sexy black silk Bruno Magli peeptoe pumps ($74.98) in seemingly perfect condition. If I were a size 8, you better believe these would be in my closet.
• And the pièce de resistance: Portero has a jaw-dropping Louis Vuitton “Alma” satchel in black Epi leather ($675). This bag retails for over $1,300 and it’s listed in very good condition, with only mild wear on the corners.

(Courtesy of the Andean Collection)

Anthropologie is known for gleaning its inspiration from handmade and artisan-made goods found in bazaars and flea markets around the world, but most of the time the products the retailer sells are replicas. Until now, when E.S. favorite the Andean Collection scored a big gig producing its fair-trade tagua bib necklace for Anthropologie shoppers.

The Andean Collection hires artisans in Ecuador to produce its line of jewelry, enabling them to earn a decent living without having to leave their families behind to find better job opportunities in the U.S. Most of the line’s jewelry incorporate nuts and seeds native to South America. Tagua, also known as “vegetable ivory,” was once the most commonly used material for buttons until plastic went mainstream in the 1920s.

For more about the Andean Collection’s mission, check out this essay written for us by the line’s founder and designer, Amanda Judge, and browse more fair-trade pieces in the company’s collection here.

“Perfect Skippers” Necklace, $68 at Anthropologie.com.

(Courtesy of Jezebel.com)

It hasn’t been the best summer for healthy body image, but it’s been a great few months for photoshop disasters.

The newest airbrushing scandal on the block is the above ad for Ann Taylor. The image on the left appeared in AnnTaylor.com search results, but if you clicked on the photo to buy the shirt, the wrinkles magically disappear — along with about four inches of her already-slim waist and a few inches off her thighs as well.

Oops.

To their credit, Ann Taylor’s marketing execs copped to the problem immediately:

We have a standard retouching guideline that shows realistic images. An art director will look over the selects, choose the best poses, and the retouching vendor will handle the rest. Our art directors are responsible for calling out any obvious issues and providing direction to the retoucher.

We are working with clothing that hasn’t been fully fitted so we have to take care of that with some of the retouching. Retouching is not only about tweaking the clothing but also the lighting as well. …

We really put precautionary measures in place this year as we agree our retouching had been overzealous and inconsistent with our beliefs.

There are two ethical issues at play here: Photoshop is being used to improve the quality of clothes, and models are being digitally manipulated to fit an unattainable mold. If Ann Taylor’s clothing doesn’t drape perfectly due to fit issues, it should be shown that way so online customers can make an informed purchasing decision. And the second issue is self-evident.

As followers of fashion who believe there’s value in seeing merchandise presented honestly, we hope Ann Taylor — and other brands that are just as guilty of “overzealous” airbrushing — shape up and start offering consumers the truth.

Navy TOMS are a classic ethical purchase, and today you can get them half price from KaightShop.com, courtesy of Lucky magazine.

That’s just $24 for a comfortable pair of kicks in versatile navy that the company will match with a shoe donation to a child in need. Wear yours with jeans, skirts, khakis, shorts — you name it.

Just click here, add to your cart, and enter code LUCKYDAILY2 at checkout for the discounted price.

If you’re a parent who’s trying to get the plastic out of your kids’ lives, have we got a great product for you.

These Zoo Packs by Skip Hop ($20) are manufactured without a trace of the bad stuff — that means no BPA, no phthalates, no PVC. And have we mentioned how undeniably adorable they are?

The backpacks come in eight different animal designs, and Skip Hop also has coordinated Zoo Lunchies ($13), insulated alternatives to the plastic lunch box. You may be so overcome with the cuteness, you’ll want to switch from the brown paper lunch bag yourself.

Zoo Packs in Zebra and Frog, $20 at SkipHop.com.

Swiss luxury jeweler Cartier has filed suit against members-only shopping website HauteLook.com for allegedly selling counterfeit, damaged, and secondhand jewelry bearing the Cartier name.

Cartier reportedly bought five watches from Hautelook to check them for quality, and the inspection resulted in the lawsuit. In it, Cartier says Hautelook never “partnered with Cartier and is not an authorized dealer of Cartier’s merchandise.”

According to Reuters:

HauteLook is “causing immediate and irreparable harm to the Cartier brand and trademark,” Cartier said in its 36-page complaint filed on Tuesday evening in Manhattan federal court.

Cartier claimed that HauteLook has sold used Cartier watches despite maintaining on its website that it “never” sells “secondhand merchandise, ever.”

It also said HauteLook has also sold Cartier goods that were damaged, were shipped in the wrong packaging, or carried defaced authenticity certificates, and sometimes included a Cartier warranty booklet though the warranty did not apply.

Cartier is rumored to be asking for more than $2-million in compensatory damages. At best, this is an “oops” of major proportions; at worst, it’s fraud.