We all want to help the environment, but some of us don’t know how or don’t have the time to volunteer. With Smartly Green, helping is easy. The site acts as a kind of philanthropic search engine. You can look for any type of item, from cleaning supplies to clothes or a song from itunes, through the site and be linked to other sites that have what you’re looking for. Each time you search through Smartly Green, money is donated to an environmental cause, so it’s a win win situation. 50% of the commissions raised to go to an organization, Cool Earth, that aids in stopping rainforest destruction, a major cause of climate change. Best of all, when you shop through Smartly Green, the prices are exactly the same as they would be directly from a store’s own site. What’s not to love?

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Sheena Matheiken, an Indian-American, youngish, Brooklyn type has all the great fashion options in her adopted city of New York. Yet this altruistic young lady opted to forgo these trendy mainstays and wear the same little black dress (albeit, she had 7 identical copies of the dress for each day of the week) for 365 Days (from April of 2009-April 2010) in an effort to call attention to the plight of schoolchildren in her native India and make a host of points about our obsessions with material things, sustainability and creativity/fashion. Sheena accessorized and styled her way into 365 different outfits successfully and documented the whole thing, calling it The Uniform Project and and blogging about it.

Soon, the media caught onto her clever plan and Matheiken received tons of press about her true cause, the Akanksha Foundation , an organization that is revolutionizing Indian education. They provide funding for children’s school uniforms and other educational expenses. Matheiken recalls wearing a daily uniform during her own school days there and how every child would manage to style theirs a bit differently, hence the inspiration for the blog. The dress itself was designed especially for her needs in minds, being a basic, black seasonless piece in cotton, fit for any time of year or occassion. If you’d like to make a donation to the Akanksha Foundation or learn more about this cause (or if you just want to purchase the dress Matheiken wore everyday and get some sartorial inspiration), click here. So far, $103,389, or 287 Indian children, have attended school well-equipped as a result!

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We all love designer goods, even if we say we’re not label snobs. There’s something luxurious about an item that’s carefully produced and indulgent or being treated like a V.I.P., even if it’s just for a few fleeting moments. Unfortunately, we don’t all have the means to treat ourselves to decadent things all the time . This is where smart shopping comes in, especially if you have a taste for the finer things in life.

I personally am a big fan of invitation only luxury shopping sites like Gilt and Ideeli. Many of you may have heard of these popular sites but may not have tried them out. Trust me, they are worth the time it takes to fill out the free invite-only registration. Not only will you get discounts on big tickets items like Marc Jacobs bags and Vivienne Westwood heels, they both sell lovely home goods and sometimes even nice, hardcover coffee table books. Gilt, in particular, occasionally offers discounted vacation stays. On Gilt today, are sales including items from Lutz and Patmos, Thread Social, Moschino Cheap & Chic and the lovely Kendra Scott’s jewelry. Upcoming sales will have pieces by Splendid, Tracey Reese, Cynthia Rowley, Dolce and Gabbana and Vera Wang Lavender Label. But act quick because these sales function sort of like live sample sales! Once the allotted number of items is sold in a select category, they’re completely out of it. In other words, if you like it, buy it immediately. There is even a small countdown clock on every section’s page, letting you know when each sale ends to add to the frenzied feel of it all.

Ideeli is also a good option, but showcases lesser known and not as high-priced, but still good, products. Both are definitely worth a look and occasionally carry men’s as well as children’s clothing and accessories.

I will post an invite from my Twitter for membership to Gilt. Follow this link to be invited to Ideeli and let the shopping begin!

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If you like fashion, photography, art and culture in general, you need to take a look at Lula magazine. A beautiful tome about fashion and all of the above, it’s a high brow concept that completely delivers, with a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled on top (Lula strongly emphasizes girlish, feminine pixie-esque style). They also style their models in vintage, as well as designer pieces, and sometimes use real people to model. Additionally ,the interviews are always great and feature someone compelling… So, now, I leave you with some images from the mag (and some good eye candy). Enjoy!

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Lucky magazine online is a treasure trove of untapped resources. From their top eco web sites list to the women’s size 12+ one, I’ve made many visits to the site to find appropriate things for shoots, clients and my own home goods collection. Their coverage of eco companies and sites is espceially spectacular and is how I luckily found out about the eco-chic site, Green with Glamour.

The company was founded by two close friends, Deana Bracken and Kathleen Rowan, who are not only environmentally conscious but also completely stylin’. They decided to combine the two and create Green With Glamour. Deana overseens the GWG headquarters in Los Angeles while Kathleen manages from Chicago but both carefully curate a wonderful selection of sustainable lifestyle items for the site. Since 2007, it has been hosted by a carbon neutral webhost and has always operated paperless. The company also ships most of their goods in recycled packaging when possible. GWG has cultivated a global fanbase and is also a member of 1% Alliance For the Planet, a group of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual income to envirnonmental causes.

Actress Emily Deschanel has even signed on to promote the company, listing her top picks from the site, along with links to her fave charities. Got a burning eco question or inquiry about the site? Simply ask Deana and Kat online. You can also utilize their personal shopping service, read their informative blog or peruse their press section, which is pretty impressive. Also available are gift certificates, registries and sendable wish lists.

Green With Glamour is a sleek, minimal site with white and splashes of green (of course). The merchandise is divided into chic accessories and clothing, gift ideas and assorted home goods and they carry cool labels like PI Organic and Hemptress, which are a far cry from the Birkenstock wearing past that eco style is often associated with. They also carry men’s and children’s items, managing completely to live up to  their motto, “Go Green. Stay Stylish.”

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The web site Etsy, around for 5 years now, has become something of a global phenomenon with buyers and sellers from over 150 countries and hundreds of thousands of virtual store fronts. For the unitiated, it is a site that’s both a community and company, with sellers setting up shop online and connecting, through the site, with buyers interested in their wares. The only rules for being a seller (it’s free to have an online store and item listing fees are dirt cheap) is that you hawk vintage, homemade or crafting supply things. Etsy’s main mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers, build a new economy and present a better choice for consumers, which is something I wholeheartedly support. Not to mention most of the sellers price their things fairly and you can find something really unique.

Although it has kind of a folksy, crafty reputation, the stores on Etsy have become increasingly professional with more polished goods and styling. Each item seems to be made with love and attention to detail even if it isn’t totally your scene. Mainstream mags like Lucky have featured Etsy in their pages and the categories of merchandise available range from artwork to clothing to accessories to needlepoint and home goods. All in all, it is a wildly interesting site to explore, if a little daunting to navigate for newbies. Search options, aside from searching by general keyword, include searching by color, curated lists from other members, editors’ picks, suggested sellers, shops that are based locally, by listing time, or even sorting through the newest stores. You can also request custom items from certain sellers, which is a godsend for those who are difficult to fit or are very particular in general. Sorting through Etsy is kind of like going around your favorite flea market, with quirky treasures going for $1 and under to hundreds of dollars apiece and more. There is something for everyone on Etsy, so it is definitely worth a look! Here, my favorite pieces in a range of prices.

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I’m sure by now, you, and the rest of the world, are familiar with the fashion site, WhoWhatWear. If not, know that it is perhaps one of the most currently read fashion and celebrity style blogs online and has scores of followers who feverishly devour it daily. Started by two friends and former editors for Elle, the site was conceived in response to a need for celebrity rag fashion coverage, without the gossip and snarky comments. The goods are doled out by two fashion experts, namely Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr, who have tons of experience in their field. Kerr acts as exacting editorial director for the site while Power is the creative director who manages to sniff out new lifestyle trends and relay them to the reader in a visually compelling way. The pictures and style collages, whether they be from the street, fashion runway, or a photo shoot, are all glamorous and cool. The nice thing about the site is also that it sticks to mostly nice copy about celebs and their outfits only and the commenters are usually well-versed and opinionated about fashion which makes for great sartorial debate. Also, by sticking to just fashion and beauty inspired by famous people, it has cultivated a distinct niche and voice. The addition of  fashion videos to the site is another big hit with readers.

Following the soaring popularity of WhoWhatWear was the release of their book, “WhoWhatWear: Celebrity and Runway Style For Real Life” in September 2009. I know, I know… I’m kind of late to be reporting this, but only lately had a good look at it and was impressed. A smallish, hardcover tome, it elaborates on such topics easily and manages to decipher seemingly difficult trends for the common person. The duo’s best style advice, tips and tricks are front and center here to good effect. The emphasis is not only on trends but how to integrate them into your personal style and make them work for you. Rachel Zoe, Nicole Richie and Rachel Bilson are all conrtibutors to the little book that could and also accompany some beautiful pictures. The book is available for purchase on Amazon as well the WhoWhatWeat site. Happy reading!

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As you may know, I was featured on KXAN Austin’s Style Saturday with the lovely Kendra Scott a couple of weeks ago. Not only did we suggest some great colorful summer styles while on air, I got to hang out with my friend, Kendra, and talk about what I love most, beauty and style. Kendra is a well-known jewelry designer whose work has been seen in the pages of Life & Style Weekly, O, Allure, Town & Country, Self and In Style magazines, among others, and whose charitable works make her not only a style sensation on the jewelry circuit, but also a great role model.

Kendra started the company in 2002 with the simple idea that family, fashion and philanthropy come first. She carried out the dream to fruition, building a successful business focused on flexibility and fun while also a busy mother of two and giving back to the community by working with at-risk youth, the homeless and their families. She is also co-founder of LEAP, an organization dedicated to helping business owners who also want to aid those in need in addition to being a passionate keynote speaker for the American Heart Association’s Go Red Campaign for Women.

Kendra’s designs are colorful, feminine and ethnically inspired with a touch of whimsy. Her collections usually include ornate, dangly earrings and brightly colored studs, beautiful cocktail rings, attention-grabbing necklaces and sophisticated cuffs that are sure to make you feel like the belle of the ball. Her web site is equally aesthetically pleasing, with a simple, user-friendly look and detailed pictures of the merchandise. Two innovative features of the site are the Color Bar, where browsers can affordably and easily create their own color scheme for several jewelry designs and the Bridal section which is chock full of ideas on how to add a splash of color to the ultimate LWD (check out my post on the LWD, then snatch up some of Kendra’s jewelry to add some spice to your dress).  Need further proof that Kendra’s work is amazing? Check out the “Buzz” section where press is featured. The site also offers a Jewelry of the Month Club membership as well as a style guide to help you select the perfect piece and keep you up to date on trends. Be sure to check out her fun blog, which not only details the company news, but also has cute pictures of real customers looking stunning in their Kendra Scott pieces posted.

Though Kendra is an Austin girl at heart, she also has a popular NYC showroom for those interested in carrying or featuring her line. Her work can be purchased online and at select boutiques and fine department stores, such as Henri Bendel and Lord & Taylor, across the country.

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Although Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle web site and newsletter, Goop, has caused controversy in some circles, I find it a great source of inspiration for entertaining. The always healthy recipes are delicious, easy to follow and usually include an interesting, short interview with the famous chef who created them. Some recent ideas that sounded intriguing were a Vietnamese Salad and Cranberry Cobbler cocktails, inspired by the famous PDT bar in NYC.

For the travel section, Paltrow highlights dining and vacation tips from places as varied as Paris, Nashville, and Marrakesh (though she has yet to hit up Austin) that are helpful for a constant traveler like myself. The shopping section is equally handy. Though it largely concentrates on women’s fashion, the ideas, whether for wine or spring fashion, are very user friendly and hint at simple ways to achieve the fabulous lifestyle Paltrow has. An article on Tracey Anderson (in the “Do” section), who is both Madonna and Paltrow’s personal trainer, includes a workout created by her and is definitely worth checking out, if you want a similarly killer bod. There is also self-help advice doled out by Paltrow herself, tackling such issues as parental acceptance and dealing with a friendship breakup.

In my opinion, one of the wonderful things about Goop is that the site is easy to use and just plain pretty, with it’s pastel, vintage look. It even inspires me with the design, layout and look of my own site and blog. All the pictures are beautiful and uncluttered, imparting a kind of sparse, Zen feel and elegance to it which is worth checking out. Sign up for the free Goop newsletter for healthy and inspiring ways to live the glam life!

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I am often asked where I get my inspiration from for crafting new hairstyles. Well, I’m clearly inspired by fashion shows and what the forerunners in the design/art industries in general are doing but I’m also intrigued by what’s going on with street fashion. Designers of every stripe take inspiration from the creative and utilitarian styles often seen on normal people and I, as a hair stylist, am no exception.

Although I travel all over for my job and see many people attired in interesting clothes, I’m usually simply too busy to just wander the streets of a city people-watching. Instead, I turn to increasingly popular street style blogs for my fashion fix and The Sartorialist is one of my favorites.

It’s like the granddaddy of all street style blogs and is partially responsible for making them extremely popular in the first place. As you may know, it features clean, uncluttered photographs of stylish people on the streets of urban areas the world over as well as stylish vintage photos. The blog is as much about the photography as it is about the fashion. The two work together to produce photos that are compelling artistically and style-wise.

Scott Schuman (that’s him above in a GAP ad), who started it, worked in the fashion industry for many years before turning his lens loose on the street. Inspired by the disconnect between what was going on in high end fashion showrooms and what real people were wearing, he decided to document the latter. Usually, the most interesting part of the pictures featured is the details and how they work together to form the composition. With press from GQ and Vogue magazines, the blog became popular in little under a year, amazingly, and the rest is history.

*Just as a side note, these pictures are not from The Sartorialist because they have very stringent copyright rules and I didn’t want to run into trouble. They are, however, very similar in spirit and style to what Mr. Schuman does. Check out his site directly to get the real deal.

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