“Would you wear in vitro leather?“, asks EcoSalon. Modern Meadow is experimenting with tissue engineering to create leather in a lab environment, so it would no longer be necessary to “raise, slaughter and transport animals” for the production of fashion items.

While expensive, camel hair is waterproof and it is said to last a lifetime with no pilling, double the warmth of other wool textiles and softening with use. No wonder that camel hair from the steppes of Central and Eastern Asia is very popular among luxury apparel brands.

SeaCell® is a fibre made out of seaweed and wood pulp, certified by the European Ecolabel. The fabric was created by German manufacturer Smartfiber AG and is regularly used for sportswear, yoga clothing, sheets and towels. The idea behind it: “natural, pure and effective active ingredients from the sea should give us and our skin a treat”.

Fab Links from Our Members

A recent Greenpeace study revealed that dangerous chemicals were found in clothing items produced by some of the most well-known global fashion brands. RunnerRae says this makes you really think twice about where you buy your clothes from.

Nadya enjoyed this whimsical illustrated take on how to dress for your body type, and thought it especially appropriate for our Urban Warrior Princesses.

In “What is your acne telling you?” The Beauty Gypsy explains the concept of face mapping. Celia is fascinated by the idea that the way your skin looks can be representative of how healthy you are.

Angie reports that great eye candy can be found at They All Hate Us, a site with a funny name founded by two Australian fashion industry lasses.

Laurinda points us to Sewingplums. She selected items from Eileen Fisher’s Holiday Tool Kit to make tops suitable for her casual chic festive capsule, by translating the pieces for available sewing patterns.

Ceit recommends this article about the difference between glamour and beauty, and how, according to writer Karen von Hahn, Canadians tend to be a little “too risk-averse” when it comes to the former.

The people at Talon Rouge restore and dye weathered or neglected footwear. Vildy was equally intrigued by their skill and the idea of owning something you feel is worth that degree of restoration.

We tend to favour certain brands and retailers because, for a myriad of reasons, they work for us. Then there are other brands and retailers we don’t shop because their fits, style sensibility, price points and quality standards do not work for us. 

Or so we thought. 

I have a “leave no retail stone unturned” philosophy, which was probably born out of my years spent in the industry working as a fashion buyer. Despite our negative and preconceived ideas about them, I believe that a brand or retailer deserves to start afresh at the beginning of a season, and here’s why. 

First, fashion buyers and merchandise managers are responsible for selecting the items that stock a retailer. They bring a certain “handwriting” and style sensibility to a store department as they plan and buy their merchandise assortments. This handwriting becomes “the look” of the department. The thing is, buyers and merchandise managers move around. And when new buyers and managers take over a department, the handwriting changes. The change might be right up your alley. 

Second, retailers can deliberately change their target market focus, quality control standards, and product assortments. Think of how many times the Gap has changed its product focus over the last decade. Retailers like Talbots and Ann Taylor have also shifted their style direction over the years. 

Third, at times it’s hard to believe that retailers are actually on our side, but they always are. It’s in their self interest. They want us to be happy with their merchandise, so they’re constantly tweaking fits and updating size specifications to achieve the best product for their target market. You might not have liked the way Banana Republic’s “Martin fit” trousers or J.Crews’s “Matchstick” jeans fit a few years ago. But by all means try them again because the fit may have changed more to your liking this season. 

And last but not least, YOU change. Your body shape, budget, lifestyle and style preferences are seldom static. For example, you never used to shop at Anthropologie when you worked as a lawyer. But your new arty, bohemian and casual Mum-on-the-go lifestyle makes their merchandise a good fit. Or, you’re in the mood for fashion forward stuff this season, so heading off to Zara as well as Ann Taylor makes sense. 

I encourage my clients, friends and our forum members to leave no retail stone unturned because wardrobe gems can be found in the most unlikely of places. Just last week I found my chunky cream cabled pullover at the Gap, and I haven’t bought knitwear at the Gap for years. I found fab slouchy skinnies at Sears, and my favourite black suit (with cropped pants no less) in a department store in Japan. I used to walk into J.Crew each season hoping that their items would tickle my fancy because their happy colour palettes lured me into the store. But year after year I was disappointed because their items were never quite right for my style. But over the last 18 months, things at J.Crew started working for me and now I can’t get enough of their blouses, casual shirts and knitwear. 

Leave no retail stone unturned because you never know where you’ll end up finding that perfect item for your style.

Here are two items that caught my eye recently. Both are pretty versatile and pack a little extra punch. 

• Dolman cable braid turtleneck: I am a proud owner of this pullover in ivory. I am seriously thinking about getting the ink blue version too because it does not itch, is oversized in just the right way, and I love the high neckline. 
• Vince Camuto Tipper Boot: A maximal bootie style with no shortage of statement buckles. You might need to size up half a size. 

Add a pair of jeans or tapered trousers and wool coat to the mix and you’ll be cozy, covered, comfy and on trend.

I only found out last year that this style of footwear is called a “duck boot”. The name alone makes me smile. What a great description for a boot! We don’t see people wearing duck boots in Seattle very often, but I think they’re fab. Comfortable, casual, weatherproof, warm, interesting and fun. I especially like the styles that are either almost all-white or colour blocked with white. I like them in shades of blue too. 

Duck boots look great worn over jeans and with casual toppers. In fact, substitute a pair of duck boots for the UGG boots I posted in the ensemble formula yesterday and you’re in business. I’ve also seen duck boots worn in more unexpected ways in the blogosphere, with skirts, dresses, shorts and sparkle. Creative and different. 

My casual boot capsule is complete for the moment, so I have no need to add this style into my wardrobe. I wear Dr. Martens in snowy and icy weather and have more than enough weatherproof boots for rain. But if I needed another pair of very casual boots, duck boots would be a strong contender. To my eye, they make a nice change to the countless rugged biker boots and Frye-type boots that have been flooding the market for a couple of seasons. Please don’t get me wrong. I love distressed boots and have a few pairs that I wear fairly frequently. But we also need some casual boot variety. Duck boots are one way to go. I vote yay. 

What’s your verdict?  Do you like duck boots, and would you wear them? Or do they look too odd, too preppy, or too much like sports gear.