All over the fashion world, people are saying, “green is the new black.”

On the streets of Toronto a new kind of It girlis in town - and you won’t find her in Holt Renfrew. She is the recessionista - the thrifty woman with a killer sense of style.

With the global movement to “go green” in full swing, with everything from Earth Hour, to organic produce, it was only a matter of time before the fashion industry followed suit.

Major brand names like, H&M, as well as designers like Katherine Hamnett, are taking a step into living harmoniously with the hip, tree-huggers of the world, with their snazzy, new, green threads.

According to Katherine Hamnett’s website, organic cotton – one aspect of eco-friendly clothing – is cotton grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers in soil that has been chemical-free for at least the last three years. Besides being pesticide-free, organic cotton can also help farmers get as much as a 50% increase in their income, as it costs less to produce than conventional cotton, which is responsible for using 25% of the world’s pesticides.

“The difference is ethical. By choosing organic cotton t-shirts you’ll feel how soft, stylish and luxurious they are. More importantly, you’ll help change thousands of lives for the better,” said Hamnett on her site.

“I will always try to pick the organic over the regular product, even though the price difference can sometimes be silly. I know no pesticides were used on it, and that helps me sleep better at night,” said Holly Jackson, who is in charge of a sustainability committee at the University of Maryland. “I think if people knew the bad effects of pesticides, they’d be a lot more inclined to pay the extra dollar for an organic item.”

In November, last year, a front-page expose in The New York Timesreported that its independent testing laboratory didn’t detect any seaweed in a randomly selected ‘VitaSea’ Lululemon T-shirt. “Personally, I would rather go to Value Village, CTS, or Black Market, and pay six bucks for a really cool, vintage-y blouse – as opposed to paying a ridiculous amount of money for a plain t-shirt,” said Reyes. “And besides, who wants seaweed in their clothing?”

At H&M, organic cotton t-shirts costs about twice as much as a regular t-shirts. This is why Brittany Schein from Oklahoma City, Okla. thinks that the ‘green movement’ is nothing more than a carefully-crafted marketing scheme. “Caring about the environment is the trend right now. They know that if people see a regular shirt versus an organic one, they will buy it – even if it is a little more expensive,” said Schein.

Nina B, a student from Boston, Mass. said, “I have one ‘organic cotton’ dress from H&M, but I would have bought it if it was regular cotton. The fact that it had a special tag didn’t influence my decision to buy it.”

Another online magazine that has set its sights on creating a greener closet for us all is treehugger.com, a website that “sympathizes with the fact that most people aren’t willing to compromise their current lifestyle in order to improve our shared environment,” and understands that by living green through “education and action … you don’t need to run off to live with the wolves to contribute to the betterment of Mother Nature.“

Though it may be true that most of us aren’t looking through Craigslistfor a new, howling roommate, it may just be a little unfair to say that we won’t budge to save our planet. The movement of the recessionista takes on a ‘Fashion without victim’ approach – one shared by Katherine Hamnett, only with a lower price tag.

“I do think that it’s [thrifting and buying vintage] exponentially more ‘green’ than ‘organic’ garments. Producing more clothing still uses more resources – even if some are ‘organic,’ still pollutes,” said Nina B. “To me, it just seems like a way for people to spend money and then pat themselves on the back for being ‘green.’”

Even some firm believers in the ‘green movement’ remain cautious when it comes to buying into ‘buying green.’ Jackson said, “A lot of brands ‘greenwash’ people now. By making an item seem environmentally friendly, when really, they only care about the profit.”

In the battle between seemingly eco-friendly corporations and savvy recessionistas, it is unclear which side is “greener” (pun most definitely intended). For one, buying more things – even if they are organic – isn’t necessarily ‘green,’ as valuable resources are still being used up. And, although it would appear that refraining from over-consumption of brand-new, fabulous threads is significantly greener, some used, vintage items like real fur and leather don’t exactly spread feelings of ‘eco-love’ to some of the Earth’s creatures.

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• H&M to launch organic garments

Sites such as Black Friday 2008 are dedicated to giving you up-to-the-minute info on discounts already being offered on products. For example, this Nintendo DS Lite was just listed today on Amazon for only $135, and this Canon Digital Camera is now on sale for $150.  The site also lists store hours so you can plan your route accordingly.

Another way to get a leg up if you are online shopping is to take advantage of comparison sites like PriceGrabber and Shopping.com. These sites compare the prices of the same item from multiple retailers so you can find the best deal. Shopping.com has an extensive UGG category, but you can also peruse our UGG Guide for great deals.

Lastly, don't forget about Cyber Monday. If you can't find the item you want while pounding the pavement on Friday, you can always search for it from the comfort of your cubicle next week, when stores promote big sales online.

Good luck out there brave soldiers. 

It can’t just be a result of the volatile economy; it has to also be a sign of the times, an indicator of the future!

Just a month after Men’s Vogue folded, 116-year-old menswear publication DNR is being absorbed into the more popular WWD.

Fashion Week Daily has reported that today is DNR’s last day; starting Tuesday WWD (print and online) will integrate the menswear news that DNR would usually cover into their standing content.

Attention, Indies — now is your chance! Blog it, network it, style it, draw it! The continuing collapse of mainstream and print fashion publications just opens the door that much wider for digital magazines, blogs and websites, and independent designers, models, writers, and others. Let’s face it: the big names have their place, and I love flipping through September issues as much as the next girl. But how many time do you have to see the five same faces or looks?  Countless fledgling menswear designers out there get edged out by the top names.  Industry people and consumers/fans alike, possibly starving for information, will have to turn to alternative resources; will 2009 be a revolutionary year for menswear?

The Air Up There: Vera Farmiga has joined George Clooney in Jason Reitman's upcoming comedy Up in the Air. The story focuses on a stressed out human-resources executive (Clooney) whose only joy in life becomes the prospect of reaching a million frequent-flier miles, a goal he single-mindedly pursues as the rest of his life falls apart. Farmiga's character plays an equally busy businesswoman who falls for Clooney in airports and hotels across the country. Thanks to Toby Flenderson and now Clooney, we can unequivocally say that human-resources comedy is here to stay. [Variety]

Twice Bitten: Summit Entertainment officially gave New Moon, the sequel to Twilight, the green light this week, just one day after the original came out. In this sequel Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) must leave Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) to keep her safe from other vampires. New Moon is the second of four vampire love books by Stephenie Meyer, all of which Summit is expected to turn into movies. Your little sister hasn't been this psyched since Friday. [Variety]

Casting Couch: George Lopez and Billy Ray Cyrus have signed on to join Jackie Chan in his rip-roaring comedy The Spy Next Door. The movie centers on Chan, who is asked to babysit his neighbor's children and must protect them from secret agents after one of the kids accidentally downloads a confidential spy code. Lopez and Cyrus will play two CIA agents, giving this movie more demographic appeal (Asians, Hispanics, Rednecks) than anything since Revenge of the Nerds. [Variety]

It's a Deal: French director Pascal Laugier, who is on tap to direct a remake of Clive Barker's Hellraiser, will also head up Paramount Vantage's horror thriller Details from his own script. The story centers on a young woman who disappears after awakening supernatural forces that inhabit the random patterns of everyday objects. The script was rewritten from its original version, when it was about an ambiguously gay men's magazine that put Kevin Federline on its cover. [Variety]

Leap to Dublin: Hilary and Jackie director Anand Tucker is in talks to direct Amy Adams in Spyglass' upcoming Leap Year. The romantic comedy tells the story of a woman who comes up with a plan to travel to Dublin to propose to a man on February 29, when according to Irish tradition the man must say yes, but she encounters trouble along the way. [HR]

Finally, a Cop Drama: NBC's drama pilot Lost and Found has picked up Josh Cooke to co-star and Michael Engler to direct. The show focuses on an offbeat L.A. detective who butts heads with her superiors and, as punishment, is sent to work on John and Jane Doe cases. Cooke plays her shrink. Because if TV needs anything right now, it's another cop drama. [HR]

Read more posts by Adam Raymond

Filed Under: amy adams, anand tucker, billy ray cyrus, details, george clooney, george lopez, hellraiser, jackie chan, jason reitman, josh cooke, kristen stewart, leap year, lost and found, movies, nbc, new moon, pascal laugier, robert pattinson, spyglass, stephenie meyer, summit entertainment, the industry, the spy next door, twilight, up in the air, vera farmiga

"With the men's and women's apparel businesses sharing many of the same issues, we believe that integrating men's coverage through WWD's daily print and digital resources is the best way to serve our global audience,"

They plan on doing this by maintaining daily men's coverage in print and online, publishing an in-depth WWDMen's reports every Thursday (starting in January) as well as adding a dedicated WWDMen's channel in December to WWD.com; the last issue of DNR will be published on November 24.

Well if he must go, let him walk in style, peep these dusty brown suede kiltie lace-up boots by John Varvatos.

Chicago designers Maria Lalli and Nate Lynch met with me in Maria’s beautiful apartment. (That’s a Charlie Harper illustration behind them.) Having all three served time at the Bullseye, we briefly reminisced on those fast, fun and friendly days when speed was life. Today, Maria is working at a Chicago design consultancy (and possibly releasing some personal jewelry designs in the future!) and Nate is founder of theNate.com, a strategic design consultancy. With my recent bargain, a Griffin iTalk for eleven bucks off Amazon, Maria and Nate shared their experiences and thoughts on being a designer.
IC: So just for some background information; where did you go to school?

Nate: University of Cincinnati, industrial design.

Maria: Same thing.

Nate: That’s how we know each other.

IC: How long has your design career been going?

Nate: Since birth… No, actually, I count at when I started interning. So 7 years I guess.

Maria: Our school has a co-op program; each year in school you also have a job.
Nate: Yeah, you spend three months at school and then three months at work. So you end up with six three-month internships.

IC: Wow. What do you think was the most invaluable thing you got from those internships that you wouldn’t have learned in school?

Maria:  I was able to compare a corporate design experience to a consultancy environment and found where I felt most comfortable. Also, just knowing what goes on in the workplace, how designers interact with other members of a team, the variety of ways ideas become products — those were the kinds of things they can’t teach you in school.

Nate: A year before I was set to graduate, the economy took a dive and the job market began to crash. Much like it’s doing right now. I was working for a firm in Boston, and they had to lay off a handful of people. I didn’t lose my job as an intern, but it was an eye opening experience talking to my now-unemployed coworkers. I no longer had an idealized view of my profession. I think it prepared me more for the realities of my soon-to-be post graduate life than any of my academic experiences. From that point forward I made it a priority to have a greater understanding of the business of design, something that has helped me maintain a balanced approach to every project I encouter with my own strategic design consultancy.

(above: portable projector from theNate.com)

IC: What results do you really strive for with your design?

Nate: I’m very user focused. I’m not a form wizard, but I’ll try to make things look aesthetically appropriate. If something doesn’t need to look super-futuristic, then I don’t think it should.

Maria: My work is almost always tailored the clients needs. But for myself, sustainability is very important. So whenever I can bring that to the project I do.

IC: How did you find out about the Deceptive Design show?

Maria: I taught for a year at the Art Institute, and Helen Marie Nugent told me about it. Then it was listed at IDSA.

Nate: I saw it on IDSA, and I’m always looking for ways to collaborate.

IC: What was the process like while working together?

Maria: We did a lot of sketching, but we went back and forth. We did modeling, a foam core mock up and a little FDM version of the chair. I like doing all of those things and not doing it all with one technique. Some of the thinking you need to do happens with different techniques.

Nate: The way I like to work is not very linear. It’s not like you sketch and then you do 2D stuff and then you do 3D stuff. You jump around to use whatever tools are best for the job.

IC: Maria, you said you were teaching for a year? Can you talk more about that experience?

Maria: The designed objects program at SAIC is relatively new and much different than my experience at the University of Cincinnati. In the intro class I taught, many of the students didn’t have design as their primary school focus (much different than my experience) so the process of designing for another person or user was foreign to them. Since the school is more art-focused, there were students who were more willing to experiment with materials and processes, which was exciting.  I think SAIC has a great facility and the resources available to the students are pretty impressive.

(above: lion statues outside of the Art Institute)
IC: What sorts of projects are you currently working on?

Maria: Right now my sister is in Tanzania in the Peace Corps, and were trying to think of a project to work on together. We’d been thinking about doing baby slings that could be constructed there to help provide jobs. But we’re still exploring options, maybe set up a non-profit.

IC: One of the reasons I’m interviewing a lot of local designers is to promote the Chicago design scene. Especially after the election and with the city’s bid for the Olympics, Chicago is gaining some international recognition. So do either of you have a favorite thing about living here?

Maria: I’ve been here for almost four years. One of my favorite things —that the world witnessed on election night— is the view when you’re standing in Grant Park and you turn around and see the skyline. It’s stunning; just really beautiful.

Nate: I’ve lived here for two years now. This is the first city I’ve lived in that has mass transit. And while the CTA sometimes gets a bad wrap, it’s still pretty great. I was riding the El one morning recently, and the driver was informing us of the time and the weather (This makes everyone laugh.) and everyone kind of chuckled and thought, ya know this is the greatest Blue line ride I’ve ever had.

Thanks to Maria & Nate. Be sure to check out Nate’s portfolio and stay tuned for news on Maria’s jewelry.