Style, naturally reviewed

I promised to do a review of the book Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty by Summer Rayne Oakes. Although I have had the book over three weeks now I have simply been delving into it and browsing the websites of many of the ethical and eco fashion businesses listed there. And I can tell you a lot is listed in there.

The book is as the name suggests an eco fashion and beauty shopping guide not only based on UK suppliers but covering the US, Canada, Europe and Australia as well. It commences with a brief history of the beginnings and development of the eco fashion movement. Eco fashion has come a long way from simply being about the use of organic cotton or the creation of fair-trade. Now it includes all the processes involved from materials used to production processes to end user including how the end user cares for the product and disposes of the product when they no longer need it and this includes packaging.

Fair Trade Maxi Dress made from cotton voile.

Eco fashion is mindful of pesticide and chemical use, exploitation of labour, dying processes i.e the colouring of clothes and garments without the use of chemicals, the construction of the garment i.e. built to last, garment care and disposal on the part of the end user, the re-use of waste material i.e. the use of recycled materials in creating new eco fashion, energy efficiency concerns on the part of manufacturers and the list goes on.
Who says Eco Fashion is boring? This Maxi Dress is made from organic cotton and in a style that never goes out of fashion.

Style, naturally lists organizations supporting organic initiatives and hundreds of suppliers of eco fashion from bags to jewellery to clothes and accessories from big brand to individual brands, from high end to low end fashion all from many parts of the world. When it comes to eco fashion the names that come to mind are People Tree, Adili.com, Terraplana and Natural Collection but I had no idea that Topshop as quoted from the book “has begun embracing fair trade and organic fashions.” Or even that Marks and Spencer (M&S) are now carrying organic and fair trade lines.

This fabulous cotton poplin dress with sumptuous ruffle detail at the front is made from organic Fairtrade certified cotton.

Vintage Fashion
Vintage lovers are not left out as vintage fashion is one of the key forms of recycling. Style, naturally includes a section on tips for vintage shopping and ideas on selling on your unwanted clothes on Ebay or through garage sales or consignment shops etc. Also included is a mixture of designer profiles, girl on the street profiles and beauty profiles. With regards to vintage fashion there is a profile entitled vintage junkie.This patch shoe is made using eco memory foam, vegetable tanned leathers and recycled rice rubber.The quilt version is made using recycled Pakistani quilts making it a one of a kind.

Beauty is not skin deep
Style, naturally is a complete reference as it recognises that fashion and beauty goes hand in hand. Thus along with the fab eco fashion and accessories, good skin and hair completes the look. The section on beauty talks about hair and skincare and there are countless products to choose from.

This Avocado Face & Body Soap Natural (which did not made style, naturally's A list) is made with 100% pure avocado butter. Avocado Face & Body Soap loves your skin, moisturizing as it cleans with the natural, rejuvenating properties of this powerful fruit. So please note that there are many more eco friendly products out there that have not been listed in style, naturally.

If like me you are interested in finding out about hazardous ingredients to avoid when selecting hair, skin and beauty products well there is a helpful section entitled “Beauty Blacklist: Top 20= Ingredients to Avoid” with explanations as to why these ingredients should be avoided. That section is a must read. Also useful is the explanation of the symbols we are bombarded with like Fair Trade, the Natural Products Seal, Certified Vegan etc. Style, naturally is a good resource to read up on these buzz terms and symbols that appear on our food and product packaging.

With summer on its way I am sure many of you can learn something from the Trade Tip as it is called in the book about : How to have fun in the sun - which gives information on UV rays, sunscreen etc.

Remember that the products listed here are not the be all and end all of beauty, skin and hair products. For instance Forever Living has a great range of aloe based skincare products and I am sure there are many more products which you may have used with successful results.

Sonya® Skin Care Range is the essence of more than just beauty: it is an expression of rejuvenation, admiration, and love. The formulation of ingredients including aloe vera, fruit extracts, white tea and superior moisturizers give back to your skin. They help to rejuvenate and moisturize your skin like never before.

Beauty and Brains
The author Summer Rayne Oakes is a fashion model, eco advocate and resident expert on Treehugger.com and the Discovery Network’s Planet Green. Click below to hear Summer Rayne Oakes talk about her inspiration for style, naturally.


Summer Rayne Oakes on her book "Style, Naturally" from SRmanitou on Vimeo.

Ideally I would have liked to see more indepth information on certain topics covered in Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty . Nonetheless the book is a resource and provides links and resources for further information which is useful. There are many interesting and unique finds if you take the time to browse some of the websites.