Green in the City

Great clothes to get in to get your green on

We had previously posted on a resale shop in the Upper East Side but for those of you with a smaller pocketbook, a frugal attitude or a dislike for the Prada and Chanel genre of labels there are great shops out there for you, too.

For instance, take Buffalo Exchange. Located in trendy Williamsburg on 504 Driggs Avenue (just off the L train, Bedford stop), this shop offers a variety of hip, stylish clothing at very reasonable prices. From t-shirts to jeans to dresses and accessories, the store offers clothing for both men and women. On a recent trip we ended up with an armful of clothing and our pocketbook only $100 lighter.

Yes, they have used clothing AND great new clothing finds. But do watch out for loose stitching, stains and such. We were disappointed to find clothing with these ailments and were forced to put them back on the rack.

Then there's Beacon's Closet who is up with the times. You can visit the stores - in Brooklyn and Park Slope - or shop online. How great is that?

Like Buffalo Exchange, they offer a great selection of stylish clothing from some great labels at very reasonable prices. and it's a breeze to shop at both of the locations - everything is organized by size in a neat, clean and pretty cool environment. This ain't your mama's thrift store...

Check them out - I bet you won't be disappointed.

Green in your wallet

You love clothes. What's more, you love to buy clothes.

But with the shift to all-things-eco means that your shopping habits are up for questioning.
Why you ask?
Because the environmental impact of the clothing industry is more significant than you may think, not to mention the questionable ethics used to produce that great pair of jeans on the rack.

Truthfully, one of the easiest and most impactful ways to green your life is to curb your spending habits on new clothes.

So what's a girl (or guy) to do?
Well, we've got some ideas for you!

Designer Resale for one. Located on East 81st, between 1st and 2nd Aves, it offers a large variety of gently worn high-end clothing from Prada to Marc Jacobs, from jewelry to jackets to jeans.

Really, if you haven't checked it out yet you're really missing out. On a recent reconasense mission, we found a gorgeous Chanel sweater normally $1800 selling for a mere $299. A pair of 7 jeans for $50. Prada sunglasses for $75. There are alot of options for under $100: sweaters, tanks, tshirts to mention a few. And you won't be buying crap clothing - this stuff is classic, stylish and made to last.

And watch the blog for more options...
To come will be a review of other city-wide shops to green your clothing habits.
Have some ideas or want to write about your favorite shop? Give us a shout!

Terra Plana - cool green shoes

So there I was, waiting for a friend to enjoy some Saturday afternoon brunch when I spot a store called United Nude. Well, with a name like that I just had to check it out.

Lo and behold, it was a store fit for New Yorkers: hip, stylish and comfortable shoes PLUS eco-options for the environmentally aware. This latter option was under the label Terra Plana.

So maybe I'm the last one on the block to figure this out, but Terra Plana is an eco-aware company that  makes great shoes.

Taken directly from their website, Terra Plana:

• uses a variety of eco-friendly materials including:                      Chrome free leathers, vegetable tanned leathers, recycled                      materials, pure latex soling materials, recycled rubber                      soles and recycled foam foot beds.
• Terra Plana also introduces                      E-leather. An eco revolutionary leather by-product. E-leather                      is a unique blend of leather and textile fibers Intimately                      're-woven' and finished so it is practically indistinguishable                      from good quality leather. E-Leather is produced with closed                      loop water usage and best practice pollution prevention                      methods.

They also offer such things as Worn Again  Virgin, recycled bags made from old Virgin Atlantic seat  covers. Other recycled materials in the collection include bike inner tubes and  factory scrap metal.

It's worth checking out if you love your shoes and love the earth: www.terraplana.com