(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.

In 2005, Vogue editor Anna Wintour was pelted with a pie thrown by a PETA protestor at Paris Fashion Week. (AP/Guardian.co.uk)

We were disheartened to see the news that PETA’s website for kids now hosts a video game in which budding activists can throw rotten tomatoes at people in fur coats. The game’s introduction even says that game players can find tomatoes in real-life produce aisles, with the directive: “No mink stole or raccoon wrap is safe from a pulpy projectile that’s gone to seed.”

A blogger for the Dallas Morning News writes:

In real life, of course, this is assault, and it’s illegal. And I wonder how ethical it is to teach kids to assault other people and destroy property just because those people don’t happen to share the same views as Peta members do about animals. What would Peta say if, for example, Rush Limbaugh urged tea partiers (or their children) to run around throwing tomatoes at anyone they believe is acting too liberal, like lettuce-wearing members of Peta?

And where does Peta drawn the line? I wear a leather belt and leather shoes. Does that mean I’m a tomato target too?

It’s disappointing to see that a prominent group would advocate threatening the personal safety and property of people with opposing views, only to say that animals deserve better treatment — and directing this contradictory message at kids, no less. There are better (and more legal) ways to make the point.

(Courtesy of WWD.com)

A fur-labeling assembly bill introduced earlier this year passed the California State Senate last week, and is now awaiting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature into law.

Under current federal regulations, if a garment is trimmed with less than $150 worth of fur, the retailer is not required to disclose the materials used. Because of that loophole, clothes containing real fur were often mistaken for faux.

Sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States and supported by the fur industry, this new law would supercede that, requiring clothing labels to disclose the type of fur used on all garments with fur trim.

The bill was authored by Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), who told the press:

“Many consumers choose not to buy fur products because they have ethical objections or are allergic to animal fur,” Lieu said in a written statement. “This bill will help consumers get the facts about the contents of these garments.”

Federal law requires that clothing manufacturers label all clothes that contain animal fur only if their value exceeds $150. Supporters of AB1656 say this bill will help shoppers distinguish between real and imitation fur, regardless of the price.

“There is an assumption out there that if a garment isn’t labeled it must be fake – this isn’t always the case,” Ma said in a statement.

This may be the first time that animal-rights activists and the fur industry have ever agreed on anything, but it’s a win-win for both sides: More transparency in garment labeling means consumers can know exactly what they’re buying.

When Natalie Portman created her own shoe line in collaboration with Te Casan in 2008, she said she did it so she and her fellow vegans wouldn’t have to shop at Target for shoes.

Marie Claire fashion director and Project Runway judge Nina Garcia (right) guides a "frugalista" through Target's shoe department. (Courtesy of Sal2009.com)

“Basically, I did it out of a lack of choice,” she told the U.K. Sunday Times at the launch. “Stella McCartney does great shoes, but they’re expensive and very fashiony. I wanted a mary-jane shoe without leather. I’ve been getting stuff from Target, which is de facto vegan because it’s so cheap. But I did need some shoes that weren’t made of canvas or plastic.”

But while vegans are shopping cheap because the price point guarantees it to be faux leather, many more people shop faux leather, fur, and other luxury knock-offs because they’re cheap.

Unfortunately, there are serious environmental consequences for all that polyurethane and PVC bought through fast-fashion outlets and discount stores.

The way cheap materials are manufactured today rely heavily on acrylic polymers, the production of which generates and releases metric tons of pollutants into the air and water every year. The chemical makeup of these polymers come from coal, petroleum, and limestone, and the waste pollutes the air and water.

After the plastics are molded into thread for weaving or sheets for cutting, they are dyed and texturized in chemical-laden vats. The leftover solution is often dumped in landfills around the world, contaminating the soil with toxins.

That’s to say nothing of the social impact that making clothes for cheap has on the local labor force.

In July, a riot broke out in Cambodia over a broken labor contract that caused 4,000 garment workers to strike. The workers — predominantly women trying to support their families by making clothes for the Gap, Benetton, Puma, and Adidas — were beaten by police for trying to secure better wages.

It’s an all-too-common refrain heard throughout the sweatshops of Asia. The worst cases originate in the shady factories that illicitly produce counterfeit goods, where there are even fewer regulations to safeguard environmental and labor protections. The owners of such factories realize that if they’re already breaking one law, what’s one or two more?

As we’ve discussed in this very issue, there are affordable options for ethically made fashion. But it’s sadly not the norm.

The worst part? As costs continue to be cut and apparel companies chase the biggest return on their dollar, the drawbacks of cheap fashion will only grow. That is, until ethical shoppers decide enough is enough and cheap just isn’t worth the cost.

With the arrival of the phonebook-sized September issues of our favorite magazines, the fall fashion bug has officially bitten.

And after perusing the F/W 2010 lookbook posted by The Battalion Eco Couture on Facebook, we can’t wait to bust out the label’s take on the cozy layers, leggings, and luxe fur trims that are so in style.

Our favorite looks include this dolman-sleeved sweater over leggings and industrial boots, as well as a fur vest over an embellished tee with riding pants and wedges. (The Battalion uses “veggie fur,” but it reminds us of this vintage-inspired getup worn by Emma Watson in her boyfriend’s music video.)

Ever since discovering The Battalion last year, we’ve been continually impressed with how designers Chrys and Linda Wong seamlessly blend style and eco-sensibility in their collections, which focus on organic textiles and expert tailoring.

The designs are urban, not hippie, and we count them as a must-buy for the discerning shopper who wants to do good while staying on-trend.

From the gross-but-true category, a British company has developed a type of leather made from bacteria grown in a vat of sugary green tea.

The designers at BioCouture then dry the textile biomaterial “leather” and use it to make jackets, shoes, and accessories.

According to Suzanna Lee, BioCouture’s founder, the process can have interesting results:

Depending on the recipe the material can either feel like paper or–more desirably–like a vegetable leather.In testing with dyes we found no need for mordant [a substance used for dyeing fabrics] and an incredibly small amount of dye goes a long way so it’s eco-credentials go through the entire process. We also recycle a percentage of the fermentation liquid.

While I’m not sure I’d ever have an occasion to wear this jacket — it looks more like a Fruit Roll-Up than lambskin — the process is pretty intriguing. Are any of the vegans out there tempted?

Scary stuff! The Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health has conducted lead tests on a variety of faux leather handbags, wallets, and other women’s accessories and found dozens that exceeded the federal safety standard for lead paint. (There is currently no standard for lead in clothing.)

Planet Green reports:

Researchers don’t know for sure that the lead in your handbag could leach out and expose you to toxic levels. But like the children’s jewelry and toys that were recalled in 2007 (see my Good Housekeeping feature for the full scoop) these handbags count as a pretty unnecessary source of exposure, and one that it makes sense to minimize when we’re exposed to so many unavoidable toxins in our air, water and food every day. And activists and public health officials alike worry about what happens when a toddler messes around with mom’s purse or jewelry, given the tendency of young children to put things in their mouth.

Which is why it’s great news that CEH announced today that it has succeeded in getting over 40 major retailers to agree to phase out lead-containing accessories. Macy’s, Sears/Kmart, Target, Kohl’s, JC Penney, Guess, Victoria’s Secret, Saks and other retailers have until December 1 to make sure their accessories meet new, stricter standards for lead content, after which they’ll face mandatory fines of up to $12,500.

This news just further confirms our established suspicious about petroleum-based pleather goods. Steer clear, people!

(via GbD)

Let me be straight with you: I’m not vegan, and I have no problem carrying quality leather handbags. I have a couple that are 30 years old and have passed the test of time, both style-wise and as far as construction goes. Few things stand up to the elements as well as really good leather.

However, if I were to dip a toe into the vegan handbag market, I’d start with Big Buddha. The Santa Cruz-based company has some great-looking bags made from polyurethane. Like the quilted Miranda shopper, with its braided straps and carryall tote design. (In fact, the shape reminds me a bit of the classic Louis Vuitton Neverfull, only it’s a tenth of the price.)

And unlike a vintage treasure, you can bring this to the beach.

Big Buddha “Miranda” Shopper, $80 at Baghaus.com.

Sign me up for any skin-care product that promises soft, smooth, hydrated skin in the winter. My legs always get crazy itchy! Like, for example, the sugar scrub by natural beauty line Simple Sugars. And not only does it make good on its claims, but it’s totally organic and vegan too.

What makes the sugar vegan? It uses raw sugar (like the stuff you get in the brown packet):

The only difference is the crystal size of the vegan sugar is a little larger, so it’s a bit more coarse than the regular formulation. It’s also a little darker in color due to the tan shade of the organic vegan sugar. If you have really sensitive skin, we recommend going with the original formulation which uses the refined sugar ( on purpose!) for its smaller crystal size and lower melting point which makes it a more gentle exfoliant.

Best of all, the scrub comes in five yummy flavors: almond, coconut, chocolate, raspberry, and rose (if foodie scents aren’t your thing). But don’t limit yourself to just one: In the sampler below, you get two scrubs, a facial exfoliant, and a foot treatment in addition to loofahs, microfiber facial cloths, a foot scrubber, and more. Would make a great Valentine’s Day present for sure!

Super Smooth Basket, $68 at SimpleSugars.com.

As the Copenhagen climate talks draw to a close, it’s worth noting how much our culture has come to value the merits of green – both because people truly care about the Earth, and because caring about the Earth has grown so chic. But the actual rules of green living are surprisingly hard to navigate, not least of all when it comes to choosing clothes.

Do you want to save the animals or the planet at large? Do you focus on your outfit’s origins, or its afterlife? Do you submit to the harsh realities of the food chain? Or do you fret about the death of cows and bunnies while the planet weeps over your petroleum-based pleather?

– Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss in her latest op-ed, “The plight of the green fashionista.”