The air is getting crisp, the leaves are changing, and what does that mean?  Despite the turmoil on Wall Street and the coming election, we all need clothes, and with the cooler weather upon us, it’s a good time to take care of yourself a little and spring for a few new fall pieces to liven up last year’s cool weather wardrobe.  Greenloop has perfect long sleeves, jackets, sweaters, shirt dresses, button ups, hoodies and more in organic cotton, soy, bamboo, hemp/silk, tencel and more, to freshen up your closet’s contents.  At 30-60% off, that’s a deal you just can’t pass up.  Sale starts today, Wednesday, Octoner 8th and runs for 5 days through Sunday, October 12th.  Get shopping!

Reusable bags have passed the de rigeur, au currant (and any other French ways of saying trendy) phase. The unnecessary impact of single use bags has been exposed to the masses and now they are headed down Dinosaur Road. As the nerdy “early adopter” phase is passing, some reusable bags are popping up around town that have married fashion and function with grace and ease. Dun dun da dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn…I present to you the marvelous, the magical, the miraculous Flip & Tumble!

These colorful ripstop nylon bags are easy-to-use. Just use the stretch pouch like a traditional stuffsack, kind of like rolling your socks into a ball. Pop it out again and voila! the Flip & Tumble is ready for your baggettes, ananas, Grey Poupon, chocolat, and beaucoup du vin. And though nylon is by no means made of eco-conscious fiber, with Flip & Tumble the environmental math is easy to do…1 nylon bag vs. 1000 plastic bags in a landfill. In addition (no pun intended), Flip & Tumble goes the extra mile and has a recycling program where you can send them your old bag when you’re done with it. C’est magnifique!

Why all the French references you may ask? Pure silliness. I think we need it these days, mais non?

There was a time back in the early 90’s when I thought a midriff length shirt was hot…really hot. I used to rock baggy jeans and sneakers with just a sports bra, like I was in TLC or something. I have noticed over the years, that many of the fashions I chose to wear as a teenager are the exact opposite now (thank goodness), including my shirts. I love them long. It’s not that I’m embarassed of my stomach, it thankfully hasn’t changed a bit. I just don’t want to share my bellybutton with my bank clerk or my landlord…unless I’m trying to get some sort of deal or something. Just kidding!

I used to have to search high and low for tops that didn’t expose my little four-pack, but to no avail. During the big low rise craze, shorter shirts were all you could find and women were completely unable to mask their crack problems (and I don’t mean cocaine.) In Fall 2008, fashion is following function once again. The lengthened tee is a welcome trend that has been trickling forth for the last few years and has finally caught fire. Now you can relax tummy muscles and save your hot body for only the people that really deserve to see it-like Gael Garcia-Bernal or Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie or Taye Diggs or…you get me.

So you’re back on campus and in need of some essential school supplies-new shoes, a bag, a hot party ensemble? You’re sure that once you obtain these key study tools, your semester will go swimmingly. Well, Greenloop definitely has the ideal pieces to make you a better student (or at least just look like one.)

The Abalone Top by EcoSkin is perfect for a stud-filled study group, an afterschool cocktail hour, or blowing off academic traumas at the local nightclub. Made of eco fibers bamboo and tencel, the Abalone Top is sleek, sexy and sustainable. This hot little number from EcoSkin deserves to be matched with some very affordable organic cotton jeans from Good Society. Good Society denim is designed in Japan and made in India, which is one of the biggest hubs in the world for organic cotton. The two pieces together are sheer genius.

If clothes make the man, then shoes make the woman (happy). Rushing through the quad each day will call for kicks that are both cute and comfortable. These adorable strappy Toepaz flats by green design gurus Simple Shoes are made of hemp, recycled tires, and bamboo. Dress ‘em up, dress ‘em down, these vegan zapatos are gonna make your studymates green with envy. Oh darn.

Clearly your new mountain of scholarly tomes is going to require a bag strong enough to handle the weight and cool enough to erase the overloaded-with-books dork factor. What could be more perfect than the Vy & Elle “Bookman”? This utilitarian messenger bag gets points for both convenience and cool. It features pockets-within-pockets to help organize all your school supplies, and each Bookman sports one-of-a-kind graphics. Vy & Elle produces their entire line from recycled PVC billboards, upcycling material headed for the landfill and transforming it into wearable art. Pretty smart. In the case of sustainable design, fashion may indeed inspire academic greatness…Or it could just make you feel more enthusiastic about actually attending class.

The end of Summer is soon approaching, so now is the the time to get totally tanked…organically, of course. Greenloop has some rockin’ organic tanks by Toggery, Pursuit Of Harmony, and Stewart + Brown. These cute pieces can top off your last moment with shorts-shorts for the summer season or bring a little funk to your be-blazered fall ensembles; they’re all about versatility. From sophisticated to sexy to simple, these tanks are the bomb!

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!