Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Images, Richard Spiegel
Date/Place: Wednesday morning, March 19,
a 10th floor suite at the Bryant Park Hotel
We braved the rain to attend David Dietch and Jennie Dietch-Katz’s presentation of some interesting LA sportswear resources. The minimalist yet luxurious all white suite was the perfect backdrop for our latest eco chic find – SWORN VIRGINS. These casual yet classy dresses and tops are eco through and through.
Their motto, “Sworn Virgins wants you to look good while saving the Earth.”
We counted the ways owners Roshanne Aghevli and Alex Amini hold up to the eco standard
1. S.V. is made from 100% bamboo and sourced from one of only 2 certified eco yarn companies in Europe and then hand-loomed in the USA.
2. The dyes used to attain the rich avocado and tomato colors are 100% water-soluble.
3. S.V. is even shipped in recycled tissue paper.
Alex is not new to sustainability. He has been behind environmental and sustainable fabrics for nearly 6 years.
It’s not Eco, but we love the fact that they work on the Pal Rescue program out of their factory. PAL Rescue and Adoption is a nonprofit organization working to place abandoned and unwanted pets in safe, permanent homes. They depend solely on donations and volunteers.
This line comes at easy prices too. Dresses retail between $110 –140 and tops are $60-80.
Sworn Virgins is available at Fred Segal, Big Drop and on the website
www.swornvirgins.com
For more information about Pal Rescue, visit
www.palrescue.org
Next, we spotted a few pieces from the NY based TEHYA line. If you’re looking for a great little dress with something a bit different, this is it. The designer has evolved in the 4 seasons she’s been in business. She’s still working exclusively in silk, but she’s gone from a more traditional feminine silhouette to a more contemporary one with a little rock and roll edge. We loved the Navajo print dress with ruffled sleeves, available in several different colors.
Dresses range from $220-350.
Available in Barney’s NY and on the website
www.tehyanyc.com
We couldn’t resist looking at the RICH AND SKINNY JEANS line after admiring the sailor-inspired mid-rise wide leg jean Samantha Baker was wearing, and we wanted to see what a jean line that make you feel both rich AND skinny looked like. Samantha had on “the Betty”, but unlike most high waisted pants, it looks good on shorter women, not just 5’11” size zeros.
Although David Dietch estimates that the jean market hit its peak in 2005, like anything else, the world DOES need another [in this case jean line] if it’s a great one. This jean line is the brainchild of Michel Glasser from Seven for All Mankind and designer Joie Rucker. Michael and Joie met and Michael felt strongly enough about Joie’s level of talent to come out of retirement to launch RICH & SKINNY JEANS with her. They first gained attention for using colored denim.
WHAT WE LOVE: Firstly, these jeans are a godsend for curvy women. Secondly, they’ll be lowering their price point soon in reaction to the less than favorable marketplace conditions. RICH & SKINNY currently retail for around $210. Their 2% Lycra-Spandex composition makes for a lighter, better fitting jean than the ones we have that have 3% Lycra Spandex. We’ve found that 3% is just too much stretch, and those we informally surveyed who owned 3% stretch jeans reported that their jeans were “too big” by the end of the day.
RICH & SKINNY JEANS are available at:
www.neimanmarcus.com
www.revolveclothing.com