Who among us has not walked to their closets and dresser drawers with dread, bored to tears of everything inside and knowing that they can’t just buy a whole new wardrobe just because their picky heart desired it?  Sometimes all that is needed is a creative spark of inspiration, scissors, some string and/or thread, and nimble fingers.

I’m talking about renewing that wardrobe by reusing the clothes in fun inventive ways, so essentially recycling the wardrobe items.  Need some ideas?

With strategic snips of the scissors and skilled ribbon use, a shirt can get new ruched sides that will flatter the waistline and draw visual interest!

Sleeves can be tinkered with by cutting them completely off, shortening them, cutting slits into them for butterfly sleeves.  A strategic cut into the neckline can create a v-cut neck to the shirt.  With a glue gun and crystals or a bedazzler, exciting sparkle can liven up even the most dull shirts.  If feeling really adventurous, mixing up a bucket of dye and changing the total look of the shirt is an idea.  Fabric markers or decals can also be used on the shirt for personalized designs.  There are many options for the thrifty soul who wants to make totally new items from their old shirts.

Jeans that have become ratty on the bottom can become broken in, just like new capris or shorts!  Cut off the bottom part of the jeans as short as you are trying to go and then either leave the hem frayed for a cut-offs look or hem the new pair of shorts.

Have a plain item of clothing that you want to look different?  Buy ribbon or extra materials and add spizazz to it!  No need to have boring looks if you don’t want them.

A rather ingenious way to turn old clothes that you are tired of into something enjoyable is to create accessories out of them.  That outdated denim skirt can become a totally cool clutch handbag with the right sewing!  Love the pattern on a skirt but utterly tired of the fit?  Cut out strips and make it into a headband!  Belt loops on a pair of denim shorts can be cut off along with the rivets on the on the jean’s pockets, glue the rivets onto the belt loop with hot glue and seal it into a loop for a cute new ring.  Turn that old college sweatshirt in to a one-of-a-kind bag!

Seeing the same old clothes in a wardrobe can be oh so boring, but refashioning them in an unexpected, fun way can liven it up enough that it all seems like new!

By now you should know—the greenest clothes possible are the ones you already own. Re-wearing your clothes as long as you possibly can is simply the best way to make up for the resources their production (and shipping) depleted. But if you must buy new clothes (let’s face it, most people *me included* like doing this from time to time), there are a few things you should keep your eyes open for.

1. Try to choose clothes made from materials that can be cold washed and line dried—anything more advanced (i.e. dry-clean only) continues to tax the environment significantly as it ages.

2. Buy clothes you know will last! The longer you can wear them, the better.

3. Check out thrift shops. They are the equivalent of clothing recyclers and as an added bonus, a great way to cheaply restock your wardrobe.

4. Shop around for clothing made from reused materials. This can be anything from recycled plastic bottles to grocery bags! If you are cold, look for fleece fabric made from spun bottles.

5. Try to buy organically grown materials. In the United States, ten percent of all agricultural chemicals are used to grow cotton that only covers one percent of farmland! Organic materials won’t poison the earth with fertilizers and pesticides. You can find organic cotton, wool, linen, flax and hemp.

6. If you can’t buy organic, the next best thing are materials derived from wood pulp, bamboo, soy and corn. When they can no longer be worn, simply throw the garment into your compost heap!

With everything you do, paying attention to the effects your choices have on the environment is of the utmost importance. Nothing matters more than protecting our planet. So before you run out to replace your jeans, shop around—the earth will thank you!

When it comes to fashion, innovation is the name of the game.  Create what has never been seen, use materials that one wouldn’t expect, blend colors in an inspiring way, and most of all, blow people’s minds!  If you are not the talk of the town, then darling, you aren’t fashionable!  With all things “green” being on trend, is it any wonder that fashion has led the way in creating cool new looks out of the totally unexpected?  Feast your eyes on these expected designs made of unexpected materials:

This incredibly unique dress begs to capture the eye and make the wearer the belle of the ball, who just so happens to be ecologically mindful.  The dress is made from recycled bottle tops, cardboard packaging, plastic bags, and recycled cans.

That's what I call "eco chic".

For the mommy who wants her baby to be “green” chic, why not purchase booties made out of discarded packaging?  Even babies can give back to the enviroment! Purchase at MoJoTrashion’s Etsy Shop.

Teaching kids about recycling and style from the early age.

Gala attire for that Earth Day fundraiser can be completely gorgeous and yet made from distinctly unusual products.  Why not have a dress made from juice boxes?  This creation was worn by  Naturevsfuture designer Nina Valenti for an outing at Carnegie Hall.

Juicebox dress...not much else to say.

For the showstopper who wants to make an entrance, why not make headlines by showing up in a couture dress composed of discarded newspaper?  Not only will you be chic, but you can haughtily tell of the virtues of recycling in this gown dreamed up by Gary Harvey:

I wonder about the rustling paper sound though...

Plastic bags are one of the worst things for the environment that we can think of. Research suggest that 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are consumed each year. And only one city in the United States has banned their use in markets and pharmacies—San Francisco.

So, they aren’t going away. But what can we do with them to make them more useful and keep them out of landfills?

You can make plastic bag yarn!

(pic courtesy of hellejorgensen.typepad.com)

You can then use it to knit, and even make clothes and bags from it! They’ll be waterproof! Consider using plastic bags from your old shopping trips to knit a tote for a new way of shopping! We promise, you will be forgiven for all the bags you used before. You can also make rugs and placemats as well.

You can also make better, stronger totes by fusing bags together to incorporate their designs into a new, better one. The same technique can be used to make an awesome dress like this!

Fusing can be done with a simple iron and parchment paper, but be sure to do a little research before getting melting or you may have some difficulty. Then, the plastic “fabric” can be sewn together into anything you want to make.

Fusing can also make beautiful, funky jewelry and hair accessories.

By making anything from plastic bags—or even carrying them for another use—you help keep these volatile landfill-mongers out of our earth a little bit longer.

Pic courtesy of craftster.org.

These days, being fashion-aware doesn’t simply mean wearing a cool dress. It also means knowing of what that dress is made of and how it affects the environment. It is a challenge for many, but luckily, there are tons of hip and happening fashion lines that incorporate eco manufacturing trends into their trendy designs. Wearing the following 5 fashion lines will ensure that you are in style both as a fashionista and as a responsible human being.

Sworn Virgins: Instead of making their soft, knit party dresses out of cotton, which is treated with killer pesticides and chemicals during harvesting, Alex Amini and Roshanne Aghevil decided to make their line out of bamboo, a sustainable resource. By blending spandex and bamboo, they get a great cotton replacement fabric that keeps the Earth in mind.

Beau Soleil: Few fashion designers keep fair trade and labor, organic, raw materials and sustainability in mind when they design haute couture. New York-native Anne Salvatore Epstein does, though don’t assume that that translates to boring, plain clothing. Elegant draping and studs combine to create truly imaginative and special clothing that would make any eco-activist smile.

Ecoskin: Another clothing line that utilizes bamboo as a fiber used in the fabric, Ecoskin also uses toxin-free tencel, a fiber extracted from wood pulp. Ecoskin’s dresses are perfect for day or night.

Linda Loudermilk: This former costume design student at Oxford knows her stuff, both ecologically and stylistically. One of the originators of earth-friendly clothing, Loudermilk makes luxury items that won’t harm the earth. Check out her upscale, tailored suits and long dresses made with incredible attention to detail.

Of course, the mantra of the green movement is reduce, reuse and recycle, but I am sure that Mother Earth won’t mind if you buy a few new things from these designers.

Americans love shoes. In fact, there are around seven pairs for every person living in the United States. That’s a lot, especially when you take into consideration the materials used to make up our favorites. Most contain a number of different synthetic and petroleum-derived materials, manufactured in China, that release toxins like the carcinogenic dioxin into the air. Factory workers are exposed to dangerous glues and tanning agents for leather. By buying shoes made from sustainable materials, you will reduce the surprising carbon cost of footwear.

• While Simple Shoes manufactures their shoes outside of the United States, they are committed to using fair labor practices and sustainable materials for their products. Their sandals, casual shoes, sneakers and dress shoes are made from a combination of different recycled and sustainable materials, including organic cotton, recycled car tires and innertubes, hemp, silk, and cork. Their packaging is as minimal as it can get, and all biodegradable.

• Earth Shoes makes casual and athletic shoes from bamboo, hemp, recycled plastic and water-soluble solvents. Their special design, called a “negative heel”, promotes leg strength and weight loss by making the heel of the shoe lower than the thick sole of the arch and toes—in effect, you are constantly walking uphill. This lowered heel is supposed to align your hips and spine, straighten your head and activate your core—so not only are you doing the earth good by wearing these shoes, you are doing you body good as well.

• Patagonia puts a lot of thought into the materials they use to make their shoes, in addition to their functionality. While they still choose to use leather in some of their products because of its extreme durability and protective properties, they reuse hides from the meat industry that would be discarded otherwise. Their tanning process strives to be as earth friendly and safe for the tanners as possible. They offer a line of vegan shoes made with all water-soluble solvents and uppers made from recycled and synthetic materials. They recycle their own rubber scraps into soles, and use Heavea latex, which has an extraction process that is actually beneficial to the tree.

But before you decide to buy new shoes, consider the greenest options of all: shoe recycling. If your shoe breaks, repair it, rather than buying a new pair—it’s undoubtably cheaper. If you really want a new pair, try buying from a thrift store. Plenty of lightly worn and interesting shoes are available at your local Good Will or Salvation Army stores.

Do your best to purchase shoes made in the United States, preferably by union workers. Don’t be fooled by shoes manufactured in the Mariana Islands, however—while they are U.S. Commonwealth, the factories there are not required to pay the minimum wage o their workers.

While it might seem silly to worry about what shoes you wear, we must consider all the ways we can limit our carbon footprint and promote fair labor practices. If each of us recognized our significant contribution to climate change and globalization, then maybe these problems could be resolved.