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Nice Idea for a Book but far from Perfect Jul 30, 2009 (2 of 2 found this helpful)
I guess in trying to be more environmentally friendly the book was made in a different sort of "hard cover" with no dust jacket, yet it has flaps like a dust jacket. It's like a flexible cardboard rather than a hard cover. Yet the book stinks of a weird chemical smell that hardly seems natural. Also the book is made in CHINA where else???
The author opens you up to a whole bunch of manufactures in the green biz. From clothing to personal care. Not everything is organic. It is based on more than that. Upcycling, recycling, organic, sustainable practices and the like. Some of the fashions are downright hideous (in my opinion) and very expensive. If you have the money to burn, and you like the fashion then hell yea spend it on something good for the earth that doesn't promote child labor & tearing down rain forests!
There is a section on personal care that could really use some work. Sure this stuff is way the heck better than the conventional poisons out there, but don't kid yourself, this stuff isn't perfect either! Rather than trusting her (the authors) judgement/opinion on these types of products, you would do much better to make your own educated decisions about what you put on your skin by visiting skin deep at[...].
The very back of the book has a section dedicated to all the different sources for all the topics she mentions. I find this is great because I can review these companies at my leisure. This section makes it easy to find the type of companies you are looking for.
I love the premise of the book & what it stands for. If you need some help in the sustainable/organic industry, then you would do well to get this book. It is also a great source of inspiration for creating sustainable products yourself! I will keep this on the bookshelf & use this as a reference but continue to make my own decisions & not simply follow the authors suggestions.
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Has Feel Good Vibe; Best as Shopping Guide; Not a DIY Guide Jul 27, 2009 (2 of 2 found this helpful)
I chose to read this book as I was most curious about issues with the clothing industry and how the manufacture process may be bad for the human workers or the Earth. I already know a lot about the issues with ingredients of personal care products and makeup.
Overall I feel this book is a very good attempt to bring a blend of information, some important and some more "feel good" information to a reader who may not already know this information. This book will inform readers a LITTLE BIT on the topics. The book handles the topics lightly. The author does not over-burden the reader by inciting anger or fear.
As the subtitle states, this is a SHOPPING GUIDE and it is worth mentioning that it does not steer the reader toward Do-It-Yourself projects such as encouraging readers to make their own soap, shampoo and skin care products.
Good to know also is the products and clothing in the book are for women and teenagers. This book does not have too much in the way of men's personal care products (except where gender neutral items can cross over). Also the book does not cover the growing market for green baby and children products and clothing.
Some shortcomings are that the author recommends toothpastes but never explains the health risks or issues related to SLS in toothpaste (a special concern as if swallowed it has different implications as when SLS is in shampoo or hand soap). The big fluoride in toothpaste controversy is entirely absent. Also missing from the discussions are the issues chemicals that act as phyto estrogens which is especially an issue for young girls and boys and for women in peri-menopause (the dozen or so years before menopause).
An omission in the laundering clothes section was bothersome. The author focuses on laundry soap and reducing water usage and carbon emissions. However she does not mention fabric softener which is an issue in some people's opinion. Inexpensive white vinegar can be used in place of chemical based liquid fabric softener products. Other issues regarding ingredients in softener sheets (chemical neurotoxins) is absent.
Also perplexing is that the author covers laundry detergent which is good but fails to carry it over to the next logical important topic: household and dish cleaning. I understand the book has to have limits on what is covered but one or two pages could have been included to discuss this. The same considerations given for natural laundry detergent could have been said for surface cleansers, bathroom cleansers and floor cleansers: avoiding the toxic, buying the `green' or natural versions (or making one's own for a lower cost). As a comparison the author found room in the book to discuss the danger of inhaling toxic chemical fumes when using perfume or chemical fragrances but the same thing can be said of using common cleansers for glass and surface cleaning sprays while cleaning one's home. While we're on this topic it would also have been good to discuss not just perfume for the body but issues with chemical fragrance in candles and diffuser oils and to present greener alternatives.
Praise:
1. Discusses the fact that in the USA the FDA does not regulate the safety of products such as makeup, skin care and sunscreen. Consumers must educate themselves and become informed consumers to make choices that will hopefully not cause them to become sick with something as serious as Cancer.
2. There are over 50 pages of resources to learn more and to find products, located at the back.
3. Good resources are also listed within the pages of the book such as reading sunscreen recommendations on the Skin Deep site.
4. The book is fully indexed which I find useful, especially for going back to re-read certain sections after I've already read the book cover to cover.
5. I learned new things about the manufacture of clothing such as how certain processes such as tanning leath
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Great pictures and information Jun 3, 2009 (4 of 5 found this helpful)
Being raised by a hippie, one of the first things I learned as a kid was that every dollar you spend is a political and social statement, but Mom also loved quality and classic elegant designs.
Skip forward 30 years and everything I learned growing up is coming back into vogue again, this time with an environmental message. More and more people are trying to think of the impact of their purchases on the environment and on the people who make the things we use everyday.
This book is a great guide, it's got a lot of full color images as well as information where to find things, what to look for in buying ecologically sustainable clothing and accessories, why organic cosmetics are better for your skin. It proves you can be fashionable and environmentally conscious, you can absolutely have your cute little wedges and perfect black dress guilt free.
It has designer profiles explaining why designers are going green and trying to help out the world, so you know what you are buying, what decisions the dollars you spend are making. How they are using post-consumer waste or making things close to where the materials are sourced. The magpie in me loved the section on jewelry.
My favorite thing in the whole book was about how to shop for clothing and jewelry, restraining your impulses to buy things you like so you can save for something you love in a classic design that you can use for years.
Sure, fashion can become dated quickly, and I'm sure 5 years from now, someone going through this book will see a lot of things they'd never wear, but classic fashions become timeless for a reason and a lot of the companies featured in this book do design well made items that can be worn in 5 year or 20 years.
There is a whole section on thrift/vintage buying and what to look for when you buy vintage as well, which is the absolute greenest choice for fashion.
Very good book, one I want to share with friends.
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Fascinating look at eco-fashion! Jun 6, 2009 (3 of 4 found this helpful)
So you might be wondering why a guy is reviewing a women's fashion book but I would consider myself an "environmental" person in that I have been trying to learn more about the conservation of our planet over the last few years. That being said, I found this book to give a very comprehensive look at the fashion industry and how "green and sustainable" has started to find its way into the industry. Summer goes in depth with designers discussing how they are trying to incorporate this new trend. Of course, I am not a good person to ask about the clothes and the products suggested but I have shown the book to numerous friends that are girls and they all really liked the style and the pieces. They were surprised that the styles looked so good because they were all under the impression that eco-fashion meant ugly. As a final point, I would have to say that this is one of the best laid out books in terms of design and organization.
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Environmental Passion Turned Into Fashion! Jun 2, 2009 (3 of 4 found this helpful)
I absolutely love this fantastic book! Summer Rayne Oakes has written a total shopping guide for anyone who wants to make their life healthier, cleaner and less polluted from chemicals and toxins.
Summer Rayne Oakes is a nature lover from northeastern Pennsylvania, who is a fashion model, resident expert on Treehugger and on the Discovery Networks Planet Green. She uses all her expertise in this wonderful guide "Style, Naturally" to make everyone look and dress fabulous without the deadly chemicals and toxic elements that have been dominant in our society's market place for over a century.
As a baby boomer myself, I was brought up by a mother who had allergies to almost every soap and food product that contained chemicals, and saw firsthand my mother's frustrations with so many chemical based products in the fifties, sixties and seventies. We always had the products with the least amount of chemicals in our household, for my mother's health and well-being. Having a mother with so many allergies was not the norm and our family was reading product labels decades before it was popular, as it is now. The author teaches us how to read labels to differentiate organic fabrics from fabrics that use pesticides. There are also "clean" fabrics that use less pesticides, which I never knew about. Even though I've always read labels, I've learned so many more great things from this book!
Summer Rayne Oakes organizes this book beautifully, starting with the designers and manufacturers who make the great eco products and organic fabrics that are eliminating contaminants, chemicals and pesticides from our world. The author shows so many wonderful clothing pieces that have been re-cycled, re-used or re-worn. She shows fashionable bags made from bottle caps and PVC art banners. Purses are pictured that have been artfully made from candy wrappers, rice bags and re-cycled leather. License plates and car seat fabrics are turned into lovely purses. Vintage fabrics are given new life in dresses, shoes and bags. Nike now re-cycles shoes to make sport surfaces, which I never knew. Beautiful jewelry is pictured made from old hardware, stones, re-cycled woods, gold and glass.
There is a large section on cosmetics alone, which shows products such as the new mineral make-ups and chemical and lead free lipsticks. Organic shampoos and skin care products along with chemical free toothpastes, soaps, sunblocks, perfumes and nail polishes are all pictured. The author also gives tips on buying vintage and swapping or selling your no longer wanted clothing. The best part is, she lists where to shop for all these great products, along with all the eco-designers and vegan fashion retailers.
Even though I've been a label reader and re-cycler all my life, this book not only taught me many things I never knew, but showed me the many eco friendly retailers I never knew existed. This is definitely a 5 star book and the first of it's kind when it comes to covering ecology-minded fashion from head to toe!