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.

From Dallas to D.C., it seems like the whole country is under a pile of snow this week. (The only three snowless states today? Florida, Hawaii, and Louisiana!)

So in the interest of keeping warm while looking good, we recommend this sexy and snuggly wrap top by Etsy seller Shihar.

Hand-sewn in Israel, this close-fitting top is customizable by virtue of the long panels you can wrap around your body to emphasize your waist (or create curves if you want some).

And plus-size gals, take heart: The body-conscious top comes in sizes up to 2XL, with options for short, mid-length, or long sleeves and in five different colors.

It’s truly one-shirt-flatters-all!

Shihar Snuggle Up Top Wrap Around Shirt, $85 at Etsy.com.

We love eco-conscious costume jewelry as much as the next gal but the pickings for baubles made with precious jewels and metals are slim indeed. There are a few notable exceptions — Melissa Joy Manning and BrilliantEarth.com among them — and now we can add Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery to that list.

Ms. Yilin herself contacted us this week with information about her Singapore-based line:

Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery has set out to demonstrate that luxury and fine jewellery can coexist. It first started work with the hill tribe artisans in northern Thailand. By working with them, the label helps sustain a centuries-old culture which would otherwise be in danger of dying out; the effects of modernity see many young tribesmen leave their villages for the cities to seek employment. The renewed demand for their hand-forged silver provides the tribesmen with a form of employment that allows them the choice to continue with their traditional way of life.

The label has since expanded its sustainability outreach to using eco-friendly, reclaimed precious metals, and sustainably sourced gemstones that include the avoidance of conflict-free diamonds. In addition, it helps support and raise awareness of traditionally marginalised groups like the hill tribe people and the environmental destruction caused by the use of certain types of material like coral.

Is it time to start sending Valentine’s Day hints to your beau? You can shop her beautiful and delicate creations at Cate.com.sg.

In a move designed to curb young women’s exposure to marketing images that may affect body image, Spain has taken steps to ban diet and beauty ads from airing during primetime television hours.

An excerpt from the new law:

“Broadcasters cannot carry advertisements for things that encourage the cult of the body and have a negative impact on self-image — such as slimming products, surgical procedures and beauty treatments — which are based on ideas of social rejection as a result of one’s physical image or that success is dependent on factors such as weight or looks.”

The Spanish government is known for its progressive approach to stemming the tide of eating disorders among young women. In 2007, the health ministry worked with Spain-based fashion retailers like Zara and Mango to ensure that their mannequins were no longer smaller than a U.S. size 6. And in 2006, Madrid was the first city to enforce a body-mass index (BMI) minimum for models walking in fashion week.

Thoughts? Do you think it’s pointless to regulate marketers, or will this help prevent another Heidi Montag from happening?

If you ever need a reminder of how much stuff there is in the world, don’t go to the mall — check out an antiques market. Every item for sale there, from silver spoons to vintage shoes to sapphire earrings, is testament to the fact that more than just diamonds are forever.

In the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of touring two of the world’s greatest antiques markets, held in London’s Covent Garden and the San Telmo barrio of Buenos Aires. Both were overwhelming experiences.

A woven leather belt purchase at Buenos Aires's largest antiques market. (M.J. Prest/EthicalStyle.com)

Set up in Covent Garden’s Jubilee Hall (30 The Piazza, London WC2E 8RA) on Monday mornings, London’s biggest antiques market is almost too big to digest in a single day. Here you can find antique cufflinks and cameo pins in all conditions, from pristine to rusting. Bring a sharp eye and a lot of patience, because you’re going to be digging through a lot of junk. We were particularly enamored with the vintage costume and fine jewelry, including some exquisite collector’s items from the Edwardian era. Our only purchase, however, was a pair of oversize earrings made from peacock feathers, which we scooped up for a single quid ($1.60 in USD).

On Sundays, the San Telmo antiques market in Buenos Aires convenes in the Plaza Dorrego (Defensa 1098, San Telmo, Buenos Aires), the oldest public square in the city. Here you can spend your pesos on not just antiques but everything from handicrafts to leather goods to hand-wrought silver jewelry. While you browse the stalls, tango dancers perform in the square and pose for photographs with tourists.

Argentina’s leather is some of the best in the world so I was on the hunt for vintage leather goods. I ended up purchasing the vintage woven leather belt pictured above, which had at one point been treated with a distressed gold paint that was now artfully flaking off. It was in great condition but I negotiated the price down to 50 Argentinian pesos ($13.15 in USD).

One thing is for sure: Deals are to be had, but typically not on truly valuable items. In San Telmo, I examine a 100-year-old pair of European cut diamond stud earrings set in platinum. At .6 total carat weight, the asking price was $1,000 — too rich for my blood, but the price was fair. I admit, I wouldn’t expect to pay less for a pair of earrings of similar quality in a mall back home.

Want to give antiquing in your city a shot? In general, the one rule of thumb of antiquing is to go with your gut. There is no room for waffling when it comes to such extremely limited quantities. Treat what you find as one-of-a-kind, since it probably is. And chances are you get one shot to buy your newfound treasure before someone else scoops it up or the seller disappears into the ether.

Hundreds of stalls line the street during a Sunday handicrafts market in Buenos Aires. (M.J. Prest/EthicalStyle.com)

Ola chicas! Kara picked up my blogging slack while I was on vacation in South America, and I want to publicly thank her for doing such a bang-up job keeping everyone entertained.

I plan to write more about what I saw fashion-wise while in Brazil and Argentina, but the first thought I’d like to explore focuses specifically on Argentina. The peso crisis of 2001, a disastrous decision by the government to devalue the Argentinian peso to next to nothing, still resonates throughout the country today. When the majority of Argentina’s citizens woke up one morning to find their life’s savings had become worthless, people had to get creative in how they would make money.

One industry that flourished as a result? Handicrafts. In most of the touristy sections of Buenos Aires, you can find artisans selling handmade beaded necklaces, beautiful earrings, silver rings, and all manner of small goods using Argentina’s famous leathers — from belts to bags to wallets to sandals. Some of the artisans have set up boutiques and some sell their goods on the street, but what they all have in common is a commitment to high craftsmanship — and quality that only improves as the artisans have more practice.

It made us think of how Etsy has really exploded since the United States suffered its own economic meltdown in 2008. We’ve heard anecdotal evidence of people who have lost their jobs only to find their passion in their previously-neglected hobbies. Not everyone is lucky enough to make a living out of making jewelry, but for some it can be a side business that satisfies creative urges while bringing in a little income.

Etsy shop owners, care to comment?

PETA protestors set up shop in India this week in conjunction with the annual international leather fair held in New Delhi.

One of the protest’s organizers, Akraprava Bhar, said the group wants to raise awareness about animal cruelty:

“The three-day international leather fair started in Delhi today (Friday) and our aim is to raise awareness on how animals are treated before they are turned into leather shoes, bags and other products. We encourage shoppers to choose synthetic and natural-fibre materials instead of animal skin,” Bhar told IANS.

Once again, the protestors say they want to make people aware that animals die for leather goods, when really what they seem to be doing is attacking the farmers who spend their lives tending to their livestock. In most of India, cows are sacred and treated with respect. Is it a fair accusation to call all farmers murderers when it’s most likely a trade and a herd that’s been in their families for generations?

We don’t have much of a problem with leather due to the fact that it holds up better in the long run and requires less toxic pollution than the production of plastic and polyurethane alternatives to leather. Of course, this is a personal decision: You must know what you believe before you can shop according to your beliefs.

Ralph Lauren’s advertising department is likely getting an earful after yet another photoshop disaster is rocking its image.

Russian model Valentina Zelyaeva, who has been posing for the label since 2005, appears in the same ad on the Australian version of the Ralph Lauren site and in Sydney retail shops — only she appears significantly skinnier online, with hips half as wide as her shoulders and her ribs popping out through a tank top.

The bad retouching has resulted in scathing criticism on sites like PhotoshopDiasters, where one commenter says:

Why don’t they just show their clothes on skeletons… or are those not skinny enough? One ridiculously Photoshopped image is laughable, but a collection of them is grotesque.

The new images come on the heels of the scandal over model Filippa Hamilton’s extensive airbrushing in another Ralph Lauren ad. Seems to us that Ralph Lauren is going to have a hard time living this one down.

(Side-by-side images courtesy of DailyMail.co.uk)

France is considering a law to require advertisers to disclose when images have been doctored, reports Time magazine:

The drive against airbrushed photos is being headed by conservative parliamentarian Valérie Boyer, who says the widespread use of digital technology to alter images is feeding the public a steady visual diet of falsified people, places and products. This artificial reality leads people to expect perfection from themselves and the world in an impossible way, she says. “When writers take a news item or real event and considerably embellish it, they are required to alert readers by calling the work fiction, a novel or a story based on dramatized facts. Why should it be any different for photographs?” Boyer asks. “Rules on food-labeling let consumers know the origins of the contents and the presence of things like additives and preservatives. What’s wrong with … informing them when photographs have also been modified from their original form?”

Advertisers would argue that doing so undermines the allure of perfectly photographed people and places in marketing campaigns, which, in many cases, is what sells. A svelte model with perfect skin, for example, is likely to make you want to eat high-fiber cereal more than a model with visible imperfections. Perhaps, says Boyer, but she believes that passing enhanced imagery off as the real thing is misleading. Her proposed legislation would require doctored photos meant for public distribution to carry the warning “Photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person.” Anyone violating the rule could be fined about $55,000. Since she presented her draft to parliamentary committees in September, Boyer has been joined by more than 50 other legislators who want to see it introduced as formal legislation and voted on in the coming months.

This story actually broke before the whole Ralph Lauren debacle, but it becomes an even more interesting question in light of those recent events. Where do you fall in this debate over photo retouching? Are ads understood not to reflect reality, or are we worse off with the white lie?

This month marked the sixth annual Ethical Fashion Show at Paris Fashion Week. We regret that we were unable to attend, but Ecouterre has the scoop:

[T]he four-day Ethical Fashion Show hosted more than 100 accessory and clothing designers at Le Tapis Rouge. Industry vets, including Veja sneakers, Terra Plana, and Article 23 were there alongside newcomers such as Nu Jeans and Como No. Nu stood out as with its dark denim in classic straight and slim fits. Its production is Oeko-Tex-certified, and it uses nickel-free buttons, rivets and zippers. Como No’s organic cotton patterned bags and “wellies” are fresh, fun, and fair-made.

The more cutting-edge designers, however, were located in The Marais. At the Green Showroom, Andrea Klusener showed her Spring 2010 collection of beautiful dresses. Using draping and knotting techniques, Klusener transformed organic cotton and silk into dreamy frocks in a muted palette of light blues and grays.

Pictured above: one of Andrea Klusener’s fairy-tale creations. For more photos and reviews, check out the whole post.