(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.

Sacramento stylist Kari Shipman of Juniper James poses in some of her thrift-shop finds. (Courtesy of JuniperJames.WordPress.com)

Look, we love a great deal. But that doesn’t mean we want to compromise our fashion ethics. Is it possible to balance both?

The short answer is yes. Bottom line is: You don’t have to get a second mortgage to support eco-fashion endeavors, and green looks great on you.

But cheap eco-fashion is equal parts great find and big scam. In this issue, we look at both sides of the coin.

• First off: How to do cheap and eco-chic right? This article will get you started.
• Kara, our DIY Doyenne, throws herself into a project of remaking old belts without spending a lot of money or time. It’s the kind of DIY you can do on your way out the door for dinner and a movie. Follow along with her tips here.
• Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be cheap: Plastic shoes and polyester clothing are some of the worst environmental and social offenders. How bad are they? Take a look.
• Fall is a popular time for makeovers, perhaps because the heat finally abates and your makeup will finally stay in place. There are a whole host of great green options for 2010, and we put together this list of our favorite potions and lotions for under $25 a pop.
• Finally, in Seam Ripper there’s always something new to be found by revisiting our top posts on cheap fashion from this very blog. And as always, it’s free to join the discussion in our comments section!

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.

If there’s one type of recycling in fashion that makes a world of sense, it has to be gold.

As an element, pure gold — the 24-karat kind — can be melted down and refashioned an infinite number of times with no change to its strength, shine, or molecular structure. It’s even easy to reclaim alloys, which are used to make the metal harder and more durable. Most frequently alloys are created by combining pure gold with nickel or palladium (for white gold), silver (for yellow), or copper (for rose), all of which are easy enough to extract and recycle as well.

The environmental impact of mining gold is a well-documented travesty, responsible for water and air pollution and displacing not just tons of earth per ounce but also the indigenous communities who have the bad fortune to live near a lucky strike.

Yet even high-end designers have found that there are literally tons of reclaimed gold available for purchase, meaning that no waste is created in the production of high-quality fine jewelry.

We profile five of these designers in the below slideshow. Click on any image to launch.

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?

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).

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)

We’ve had fleeting love affairs with a variety of organic or otherwise eco-friendly hair products over the years. It was hard to get used to shampoos that don’t make suds and conditioners formulated without the slippery, silky feel of silicones, but we were willing to make do for the sake of the planet.

But finally, we came across a luxury hair-care line that requires no such compromises. Alterna’s Hemp with Organics products have all the effectiveness of the brand’s famous Caviar line, but with organic ingredients as well. And none of the company’s formulas contain the parabens, synthetics, phthlates, petrolatum, and other junky chemicals you don’t want washing down the drain.

There’s a product for every summer-hair woe. Get perfect Blake Lively-esque beachy tresses with the Ocean Waves Texturizing Spray ($20). Restore shine and brilliance with the conditioning Repair Gloss ($19). Coax out great volume in your next blowout with the Thickening Compound ($28). Protect your highlights and scalp with broad-spectrum sunscreen in the Sun Recovery Spray Bi-Phase Leave-In Conditioner ($20). Love package deals? Save yourself $10 by buying the Sculpting Putty and Shine Spray set ($28.20).

We promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Summit Entertainment, the production company behind the Twilight movies, is suing juniors apparel designer BB Dakota for copyright infringement after the brand renamed its hooded cargo jacket after the heroine of the vampire books and movies.

However, it’s not a clear-cut example copyright infringement, since the Twilight costume designer has said that she bought that same BB Dakota hoodie at Nordstrom Rack to fill an urgent wardrobe need during the filming of the first movie. Meaning it was a commercially available product long before Twilight hit the big screen.

However, now BB Dakota includes a Twilight hang tag on every “Bella” hoodie featuring an unlicensed image of Kristen Stewart. Therein lies the problem.

Summit is asking that BB Dakota not only pony up all the profits from the jacket’s sales, but also surrender all remaining “Bella” hoodies for destruction. We understand both sides of this conflict, but really, creating all of this unnecessary waste seems far too extreme a way to protect profits.

What do you think?

Not shopping is, of course, probably the best thing. (We have to wean ourselves off of the absurd idea that every chain store should be like a sushi conveyor belt of brand new styles that all cost $5.) This world doesn’t need more stuff, and considering the Sex And The City juggernaut of consumer-porn is still going strong, shopping could stand to be de-aestheticized. But what happens when you really want something new? Thrift stores are green (and cheap), but hunting through their racks can be time-consuming and offer inconsistent results. What are the choices for decently-made, competitively-priced, really cute stuff?

– Jezebel.com writer Jenna on the issue of system-wide waste in fast fashion, and the dilemma facing ethical shoppers. Have a solution for this central consumption debate? Contribute in the comments section below.