Luxury is elusive. We seek it, but it is never quite realized. It is a practice.

What better way to practice luxury than to drape yourself in ultra luxe fabrics like the trademark cashmere and long-fiber hemp blend of Viridis Luxe. The entire line is a tapestry of supple, revolutionary blends. Bamboo, hemp and silk weave through the collection like a slice of moonlight through the window, subtly luminescent in a gentle, sleepy way.

Luxury is confident yet understated, in contrast to glamour, which is hungry and loud. Viridis Luxe treads lightly in the world of eco-fashion, but carries a big (bamboo) stick.

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Dallin Chase designer Jason Cauchi dares to be extraordinary, but misses by just a mark in our book. The young talent’s brilliant dress-only collection includes fabrics like cotton chambray and sporty mesh jersey, but it lacks the use of such green materials as organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and sasawashi.

At his young age (he’s only 28), Jason belongs to the generation of thinkers and creators who are well versed in and accustomed to the language of eco. Why then, we ask, has he ignored these tenets and opted for the ordinary? True, he’s made quite the splash in all the glossies, but he’s plunked so far in the virtual green world. At press time, we were still unable to determine whether Jason has any future plans to extend his line beyond dresses and into eco. We want to love Dallin Chase, but for now, we’ll have to give the line a weak C-.

Could fashion save the planet? If it were up to Phillip Lim it could.

The savvy visionary, whose offbeat tailored pieces are peddled at speciality department stores and collected by Hollywood producers' wives, looked to the North Pole this season for inspiration. He found it in the dwindling polar bear population. 

Lim says he was greatly moved by a National Geographic special on the Arctic which warned that polar ice caps are melting at a rate three times faster than they were five years ago. He decided then and there to reduce and recycle. The result is his new Go Green Go collection. I first learned of the line  while reading an Eco AID report in Elle Magazine. I stumbled upon a page featuring a drop-dead white Grecian tunic in the collection. It's so gorgeous, I cut out the image for my daughter who had to make her own toga for 6th grade social studies. "Now, this," I told her, "is a toga!"

The tunic is one of 10 pieces in the organic line, which also includes pants, jackets and bib-front tanks, all lined in organic silk with Lim's distinctive feminine touch. Lim told Elle he had been thinking about doing this collection for a while, then suddenly "it just felt right."The going green part involved avoiding harmful dyes on the sustainable cotton fabric he used. He also had each item washed with tennis balls to create a time- worn affect. Quite the Al Gore follower, Lim also has created a $20 canvas grocery tote, reading: "Smile, you have just reduced your carbon footprint." All of the money earned on the bags will go to Gore's Climate Project.

Lim plans to greenify his men's and children's lines as well.

Image: The Fashion Spot

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Camilla Norrback believes that skin should be exposed.

Exposed - that is - only to nontoxic textiles. The Norwegian designer aims to fuse responsibility and freedom in her designs. Think sophisticated cuts with a childlike charm.

Norrback's designs also fuse decades, drawing patterns from the transition between the '80s and the '90s and emphasizing the best of both worlds. Off-the-shoulder designs meet fitted waists and wide, flowing sleeves and pant-legs. Detailed eco-luxury features like Corzo nut buttons in lieu of plastic are featured throughout the collections.
 
  

With this post, Camilla Norback can consider herself exposed (to us, at least).

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I’m not one to knock working hard and rewarding yourself with a few indulgences from time to time. I do draw the line, however, at overindulgence. You’ll still catch me rolling my eyes at anyone who aspires to one day own the infamous Hermès Birkin bag. Not only does the price tag start at $7,500, but the wait list to get one also averages two years.

Why, oh why, I ask myself, would anyone want to wait that long and pay that much to own something that isn’t even unique anymore? Yet, just as I say this, I discover the latest hot ticket. And yes, ladies, it just happens to be green. The Kooba tote, which is making its second exclusive debut at Barney’s, is made of unbleached organic cotton canvas with recycled metallic cork trim.

I have to admit, it is tres stylish and much more reasonably priced than the Birkin (only $245), but it's yet another “it” bag. If you’re lucky, you may be able to score yourself one online, but from what I’ve heard, the wait list for this summer’s most wanted bag may just rival its overpriced couture counterpart. To each is own, but I say get your own style and bypass this bag.

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I’m a giver. Finding an item that seems perfectly suited for a friend is like happening upon a buried treasure - I can’t pass it up! I buy and give and it doesn’t have to be any one’s birthday or anniversary. (This in no way makes me immune to the talent of taking, by the way).

As an example, this t-shirt designed and made by Supastarr, my newest Etsy find, has "man" written all over it. Four forks. No hidden meaning, just four pieces of flatware printed on a sweatshop free, 100% organic cotton t-shirt. It is hand silkscreened using water-based textile inks. Fabulously original and just the thing for my friend, John.

Supastarr is a husband and wife team - they run a small fair trade coffee shop during the day, and create the green-stuff of their Etsy store at night. The Forked Mens Organic Tee is available in S, M, L, XL for $22.

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During the surge in mod furniture in the 60s and 70s, Lucite was all the rage. Lucite, an acrylic product similar to plastic, was used as an alternative to glass. It showed up everywhere - from tables and chairs to bathroom tiles - and was popular for its vibrant luster.

The large amount of lucite products in circulation meant a lot of waste. But lucite is beautiful, and deserves a second life. Fortunately, designers agree. Jewelry designer Rachel Essex has a vintage lucite and plastic pendant collection (shown above). Be sure to check out her pink lucite. (Desiring something more clear? BUZZ has just the thing.)

But its not just lucite that's making a splash. Plastics are showing up in conscious jewelry at an alarming rate - alarming because it's hard to admit to having a preference for plastic jewelry. Batucada Paris has a line of jewelry made from low-impact plastics that is absolutely stunning. Yes - stunning plastic jewelry.

Things really are changing.

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Peruvian designer Giuliana Testino's stunningly structured, hand-crocheted designs are inspired by her university studies in  architecture. Testino's Summer 2008 line features an entirely handcrafted inventory of magnificent yet light pieces, originally inspired by the traditional clothing of the Peruvian Highlanders.

The designer is passionate about preserving the artisan sensibility - each garment takes 2-3 weeks to complete. Techniques used by the artisans include crochet, hand knitting, macramé, and embroidery.

The results are intricate and fresh, and Testino has a strong sense of social responsibility within the communities of artisans she employs. She takes a proactive stances towards improving their quality of life and deeply valuing their masterful craftsmanship.

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Since early last century, modern architecture has struggled for a distinctive middle ground, somewhere between the staunch angular rationalism of Le Corbusier and the nature-directed style made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright. The latest arena is the eco-house. So what architectural style would you feel comfortable living in?

The 12Wide miniHome?
Simon Dale's homemade house-in-a-hill?

The prefab delights of the DWR Kithaus?


Earthship Brighton? (What's an Earthship? It's one of these).


Michael Jantzen's work (this is his "Wind Shaped Pavilion")?


Illy's Quick House? (Let's presume they'd throw in four walls and a proper roof as well).


The Orchid House?

A summery weekend ahead - and there's no real excuse to be indoors during the day (no arguments, please). But if you find yourself online just now, here are a few links worth a read:

Whip Up are keen for us to reap the benefits of the homemade and the handcrafted: be sure to make some time for them.
Shown above: sea kelp is everywhere! Mostly in the sea, of course, but here on land we keep bumping into great sea kelp products (for example, in our first linky feature) - and now there's this Natural Hair Wash with Sea Kelp and Organic Kelp Shampoo Bar over at Pretty By Nature. It looks like chocolate. Can you eat the stuff as well? (Aha!).
Tracey "Tao" Oliveto has been looking at alternatives to plastic shower curtains (and finding that even antibacterial hemp needs a through-breeze to stay pristine.
Over at Grist, Katharine Wroth is getting in a lather over green dish soaps. Me, I like being up to my elbows in Ecover.
Shown above: Solar-powered gadgets over at Re-Nest: love the oven, not so convinced by the lighter (what's wrong with these?).
Recyclable plates that survive the microwave and the freezer....and they're made from fallen leaves and water? Yes, really. (Thanks, Triplepundit).
It's true - you can make notebooks out of anything - and as this article shows (found via Hippyshopper), that even includes tea tins.
Shown above: how much do we love recycled shipping containers? Answer: lots. Therefore we're floored (and walled and ceilinged) by the sheer genius of the illy Quick House, reported on by The Style Files.

We like the recycling suggestion by Tracey Stokes at eco street - turning washing machines into furniture! (Using up discarded items other people don't look twice at - that's classy).

Vanessa at GreenAsAThistle has just finished her 365-day lifestyle makeover. Wander back through her archives (here's day 1) and see how she found the experience.

Enjoy the sunshine!