While everybody was busy debating Palin or Obama, I went to a fashion show, but not any fashion show, one hosted by Angela Lindvall, who has dedicated her life to sustainable design issues, and now stars with Adrian Grenier on the flip side of his Entourage, in a wonderful new TV show called AlterEco. All her cast mates from Planet Green made the trek from LA to support her. The event was held under the life size blue whale hanging inside the American Museum of Natural History’s Millstein Hall of Ocean Life.

On September 4th, at the height of New York Fashion Week, Angela’s agency IMG helped sponsor this benefit for the Sierra Club to launch Be EcoChic, a convergence of many different people, companies and organizations who share the same environmental concerns about the fashion industry, and who are all working together to instill practical sustainability solutions in both their personal lives and their profession.

You couldn’t have hoped for a better turnout or a hipper crowd. Lauren Hutton, who recently launched her own makeup line, is a hero of mine. Always an adventurer and an explorer, I suspect her picking giant live flying bugs from the air and sucking their insides out, around the light of a camp fire while spending time with an African tribe, was an inspiration for Survivor! Few years ago she got herself into a terrible motocycle accident. It was wonderful to see her goofing around at rehearsal, back on the runway wearing a beautifully green and romantic steampunk long coat from Maggie Norris, who four months ago invited Riverkeeper lawyer Philip Musegaas to walk her runway.

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Fashion and poverty seem like an unlikely pair to be matched up against one another, unless of course it’s between your personal desire for a couture piece and the emptiness of your bank account. Truth is these days, the two just keep running into each other, but on a much larger scale; and this time fashion is alleviating poverty instead of encouraging it. On September 26th, the ethical fashion organization Fashion Fights Poverty (FFP) will be hosting their 4th annual eco-fashion benefit at The St. Regis hotel in Washington, DC.

Each year, Fashion Fights Poverty combines established brands like American Apparel and Donna Karan with premiere eco fashion lines like Edun and Loomstate, alongside emerging talent, to present clothing that is sophisticated and truly sustainable. For the 2008 “America” theme, FFP has chosen to honor not only fashion design, but also American ingenuity. “In this historic election year where the focus is change and innovation, we believe, to be an American is to conceive and build innovative solutions to our common problems,” says Michael Dumlao, Co-Founder and Creative Director of FFP.

Fashion Fights Poverty brings attention to eco designers and organizations who use fashion, artisanship, and creativity to build long-term economic opportunity in poverty stricken communities. This year’s runway will feature designs from eco and ethical lines by Kayce Armstrong, Mae, Annatarian, Adele Wechsler and local DC menswear designer Eric Finn.

For two years, TOMS Shoes has been a shining example of a For Benefit company. Toms has a One For One program; for every pair of their Argentinian-style canvas shoes (known as alpargatas) sold, one pair of TOMS is given to a child in need. Founder Blake Mycoskie and team have travelled to Argentina and South Africa for their soon-to-be-famous “shoe drops,” where they fit the kids personally with the new shoes.

This season, Blake’s come up with a new out-of-the-box design-”The Wrap Boot.” Inspired by his polo playing days in Argentina, Blake modeled The Wrap Boot after the “polo wraps” wound around the bottom of a horse’s cannon bone during a match, which serve as both decoration and tendon support. The Wrap Boot is made with a classic alpargata base and a stretched elastic upper with velcro closures, and comes in five colors. If you’re a TOMS fan, welcome to your new Winter shoe.

With the launch of this new boot, Blake has made it a TOMS Shoes mission to eradicate Podoconiosis, a debilitating condition found primarily in rural districts of Ethiopia which causes swelling and ulcers in the lower legs and feet. The disease is 100% preventable by wearing shoes that are able to keep the soil completely away from the skin, so TOMS has pledged that for every pair of wrap boots purchased, they will give a pair of specially-designed footwear to an Ethiopian in need.

In addition to playing polo, this Renaissance man also has a past with screenwriting and directing, so Blake headed back to Argentina to shoot a short film to promote his new shoe. If you’re in SoCal, there is a screening tonight of No Polo Widow at Huntington Surf and Sport in Huntington Beach starting at 6pm. The Toms team will be there in full swing with music, food, drinks, and of course, shoes. Vicky and Fernando Aguerre (Founder of Reef) will be hosting. The film is a little bit Disney, a touch Almoldovar, and a healthy dose of 80’s style Cinemax after hours. Fyah. If you are one of the billions of people who do not live in Southern California, you can check out the scintillating No Polo Widow right here on In The Loop…

No Polo Widow from TOMS Shoes on Vimeo

Our friends at sheandme, Shirin and Mitra, just totally snagged the 2008 Contours International Lingerie Award for Best Robes/Loungewear! After only launching two years ago, sheandme went up against well-established lingerie brands like Wacoal and Le Mystere at the CILA Gala, which took place at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. sheandme featured a set which included an elegant shelf-bra camisole, matching cropped pants with silk side tabs and shell button closures, and a wrap robe cover-up. Their eco chic ensemble was constructed of modal and silk charmeuse, which created a winning combination of true comfort and sleek sophistication.

Shirin and Mitra left corporate America to create an eco-conscious line of lingerie comfortable enough to sleep in but stylish enough to show off. They’ve succeeded. Sara Fishman, owner of the lingerie store Cheeky Fine Lingerie, raved to The Chicago Tribune, “sheandme is looking to dress the real woman, the career woman, the mother, the everyday kind of person who wants to feel sexy but also feel comfortable.” Their line of basics is produced entirely in their hometown of Los Angeles and includes camisoles, tanks, hoodies, loungepants and shorts, nightgowns, chemises, slips, robes, bras and underwear. A portion of every sale is donated to the Tahirih Justice Center, a non-profit that helps provide legal services for immigrant and refugee women who have fled human rights abuses. These ladies have totally rocked it in their first two years out; don’t be surprised if before you know it, sheandme has been come a household favorite. Congratulations Shi and Mi!

For all our New York eco fashion nerds, lunch in the park is a must this Wednesday. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is hosting a panel discussion at Bryant Park called Go Green. (Quite honestly, at this point, it should be called-”Gone Green, Now What?” But hey, that’s just me.) It’s part of the Bryant Park Word For Word author series. The Go Green panel will feature Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse, Christie Matheson of Green Chic, and Lori Bongiorno of Green, Greener, Greenest, as well a green magazine mogul Mark Spellun of Plenty. This powerhouse of a panel will be hosted by Andrew Darrell, EDF’s Vice President of the Living Cities Program. Go Green is a free event and open to the public, Wednesday August 6th, from 12:30-1:45pm. Look for the burgundy and white umbrellas, under the trees (of course.)

Find all of your favorite ethical brands at up 70% OFF. This sale only lasts 10 days so you better get shopping! Sale ends July 20th.

Greenloop’s 1st Annual ReShirt Contest has come to a close. Each contestant had to take a t-shirt they already owned, and with only snipping and tying techniques, refashion their T into an original one-of-a-kind creation. The Winner issssssssss……drum roll……deep breath……hold it……..issssssss…..Angelina Schneider of Long Beach, CA! She has won a $300 gift certificate from Greenloop and a 30-minute virtual styling session from celebrity stylist Barbra Horowitz! Angelina’s design used a free oversized Legalize LA shirt from American Apparel’s campaign to ease the bureaucracy that immigrants must face to work legally in the US.

This 31-year-old Cal State dance student sliced open the back to fashion a corset-like closure, turning the men’s t-shirt into a sexy one-of-a-kind for the stage, club, beach, or BBQ. By removing the bottom four inches of fabric from the shirt, Angelina was able to create a detachable bustle, which she tied around her waist. Apparently the bustle can also be attached at the neck for an 1880’s meets the 1980’s Hot For Teacher look. Spicy!

In close 2nd, was Chelsea Ferrette, hailing from our nation’s capital. An attorney by day and crafter by night, Chelsea rocked her DC pride with the redo of this DC Scores Cup “Sharks Vs. Suits” commemorative T from 2007. In addition to some ultra feminine split sleeves, Chelsea worked magic by weaving a gathered seam under the bust on this (now) bangin’ number. Though this is the first t-Shirt Chelsea has reworked without using needle and thread, you’d never know. As the 2nd place winner, she has won Barbra Horowitz’s style bible, Closet Control, and a $50 gift certificate to Greenloop!

And from Greenloop’s home state of Oregon, comes Jennifer Osawa’s standout Angel Dress for 3rd place! This stay-at-home mom has two daughters (14 months and 2 years). Reflecting on her involvement in ReShirt, Jennifer stated, “I do what I can to be environmentally conscious, but find myself running into the edges of our budget often. I am always on the lookout for things I can do to be green. Limiting my family’s carbon footprint is important to me…I want my children to respect and enjoy our world and all living things. For this dress I used a bunch of old stained onesies that I didn’t know what to do with, along with some scraps from my other reshirt project. I love how it turned out.” Well, it looks like Jennifer’s daughter loved how it turned out as well…this whimsical recycled fairy dress is adorable on her! Jennifer is walking away with a copy of Closet Control and a $25 gift certificate to Greenloop.

Honorable mentions go out to Marina Diehl who crafted a gorgeous dress out of her Dad’s old T’s, but couldn’t win because there were some details she created by sewing-Marina’s a rebel, what can we say? Another honorable mention goes out to Kelly Schirm of Portland who created a sassy belted look and turned old T to hot T. Also, shout outs to Jennifer Sweckard and Wendy Morgan for their nice detailing work.

Aysia Wright, owner of Greenloop and ReShirt’s primary judge, was extremely pleased with the outcome of the first ReShirt Contest. “The best part for me was that the contestants were so excited to participate and thankful for the opportunity to do so. Its great fun to see people exercise their creativity, and it was a great opportunity to demonstrate ‘upcycling’ in action as well. There is quite a bit of potential gathering dust in most people’s closets. All they need is a little inspiration to get started.” Well, inspiration is indeed what Aysia and Barbra manifested with this collaborative contest. Thanks to all those who participated, and to the big winners-happy shopping!

Fame and fortune people! This is the final week for Greenloop’s ReShirt Cutting Contest. All you need is a pair of scissors, an old t-shirt, a camera, and your imagination to get a chance to win a $300 gift certificate from Greenloop and a 30-minute virtual styling session from celebrity stylist Barbra Horowitz. Not only that, but all winners’ work will be featured right here on In The Loop!

Do you love reworking your old pieces to make something hot for the club or office? Do you have piles of shirts in your closet begging for a purpose? Give those ill fitting t-shirts from days gone by a serious revamp and enter ReShirt today!

Check out these prizes…

• Winner: $300 Greenloop Gift Certificate and a 30 minute FREE style consultation with celebrity stylist Barbra Horowitz
• 1st runner up: Copy of Closet Control by Barbra Horowitz and $50 Greenloop Gift Certificate
• 2nd runner up: Copy of Closet Control by Barbra Horowitz and $25 Greenloop Gift Certificate
• All 3 winners will be reviewed and posted here on Greenloop’s In The Loop…fame and fortune could be yours all with just the snip of your scissors!

Contest Rules:

1. You must reuse a t-shirt you already own, nothing new please.

2. The redesign process should only include cutting and tying techniques. For our inaugural ReShirt contest, there will be no dyeing, silkscreening, or sewing.

3. All participants must be US residents over the age 18.

4. The contest runs from today, Friday, April 25th, through Friday, May 23rd. All submissions must be received no later than 12:00 midnight on Friday, May 16th,2008

5. Design submissions are to photographed and submitted via email to aysia[at]thegreenloop.com. Please submit 4 photos: front and back shots of the t-shirt both on a person and lying flat on a surface. Biography about the designer must be submitted with the entries, limited to 500 words, and must contain email, address and telephone contact information.