"green" clothes

Ads promoting "green" items inevitably appear everywhere I look: Facebook, You Tube, Billboards, radio commercials, you name it. Who isn't bombarded with it every day? While this heightened awareness of the earth is wonderfully progressive, and long over-due, I find myself feeling emotionally divided by some "green" ads. My empathetic side rejoices over the new earth-friendly alternatives, while my cynical side questions the hype and high price of "saving the earth."
So, when I read "A World Consumed by Guilt" in the NY Times, something resonated with me. This article discusses the irony of hemp bluejeans and soy underwear, which cost more money to buy and involve almost as much chemical processing as standard clothes. It's great that we can recycle objects, but we often forget how much processing goes into the recycling, depending on how far the original item is altered to create something new. Moreover, the hype surrounding "green" shopping has become so fashionable that to shop "green" is becoming a status symbol, in its own way. Only some can afford to buy all organically grown specialty foods and items, and those left shopping for non-recycled bargains are made to feel guilty by the media.

This article highlights the pros, cons, and ironies behind "green" fashion, concluding that the only truly green wardrobe is the one from your own closet, however, that may be so unfashionable as "not to be seen in public," (see slide 9 of the slide show). While this is a bit tongue-and-cheek, most of us know that what we already own is quite adequate for work, school, or going out.

Check out the article and the slide show:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/fashion/13green.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/12/13/fashion/20071213_GREEN_SLIDESHOW_index.html

I'll keep the blog updated with some fun thrift stores I find around Milwaukee, plus the chic fashions I find for those who are not content with their own closets! It's January 5th and so far I've avoided all the after Christmas sales with no remorse. Only 360 more days to go!