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Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty
Style meets substance in this lavishly illustrated, highly informative, and beautifully designed book on sustainable fashion and beauty. Summer Rayne Oakes, fashion model, eco advocate, and resident expert on Treehugger.com and Discovery Network's Planet Green , shows how to make informed choices when shopping. In addition to explaining the basics (from fair trade to organically grown), Summer Rayne showcases hundreds of her favorite designers such as Stella McCartney and Safia Minney and eco-friendly brands such as Levi's, Loomstate, and Aveda that have made earth-friendly materials and sustainable practices a priority. With over 500 photos, pages of resources, and eco-style stories from the hottest trendsetters, it's the ultimate fashion and beauty bible for women who want to feel good about looking good.
344 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 2008
About the author
Summer Rayne Oakes
6 books32 followersSummer Rayne Oakes (born June 1984) is an American fashion model, environmental activist, author, and entrepreneur, known as the world's first "eco-model".
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 10, 2014
I guess in trying to be more environmentally friendly the book was made in a different sort of "hard cover" with no dust jacket, yet it has flaps like a dust jacket. It's like a flexible cardboard rather than a hard cover. Yet the book stinks of a weird chemical smell that hardly seems natural. Also the book is made in CHINA where else???
The author opens you up to a whole bunch of manufactures in the green biz. From clothing to personal care. Not everything is organic. It is based on more than that. Upcycling, recycling, organic, sustainable practices and the like. Some of the fashions are downright hideous (in my opinion) and very expensive. If you have the money to burn, and you like the fashion then hell yea spend it on something good for the earth that doesn't promote child labor & tearing down rain forests!
There is a section on personal care that could really use some work. Sure this stuff is way the heck better than the conventional poisons out there, but don't kid yourself, this stuff isn't perfect either! Rather than trusting her (the authors) judgement/opinion on these types of products, you would do much better to make your own educated decisions about what you put on your skin by visiting skin deep at[...].
The very back of the book has a section dedicated to all the different sources for all the topics she mentions. I find this is great because I can review these companies at my leisure. This section makes it easy to find the type of companies you are looking for.
I love the premise of the book & what it stands for. If you need some help in the sustainable/organic industry, then you would do well to get this book. It is also a great source of inspiration for creating sustainable products yourself! I will keep this on the bookshelf & use this as a reference but continue to make my own decisions & not simply follow the authors suggestions.
The author opens you up to a whole bunch of manufactures in the green biz. From clothing to personal care. Not everything is organic. It is based on more than that. Upcycling, recycling, organic, sustainable practices and the like. Some of the fashions are downright hideous (in my opinion) and very expensive. If you have the money to burn, and you like the fashion then hell yea spend it on something good for the earth that doesn't promote child labor & tearing down rain forests!
There is a section on personal care that could really use some work. Sure this stuff is way the heck better than the conventional poisons out there, but don't kid yourself, this stuff isn't perfect either! Rather than trusting her (the authors) judgement/opinion on these types of products, you would do much better to make your own educated decisions about what you put on your skin by visiting skin deep at[...].
The very back of the book has a section dedicated to all the different sources for all the topics she mentions. I find this is great because I can review these companies at my leisure. This section makes it easy to find the type of companies you are looking for.
I love the premise of the book & what it stands for. If you need some help in the sustainable/organic industry, then you would do well to get this book. It is also a great source of inspiration for creating sustainable products yourself! I will keep this on the bookshelf & use this as a reference but continue to make my own decisions & not simply follow the authors suggestions.
August 11, 2013
This is a good primer book for those new to the eco-friendly movement. While it’s target audience is the everyday American woman, there are some men’s products also mentioned. I like that Oakes interviews prominent names behind brands such as Toms Shoes, etc. It’s like picking the brain of a brilliant entreprenur who also happens to have a conscience about the way their products are developed. We need more people like that in the world.
Anyhoot, each chapter has a category & she lists some items she recommends. I’ve heard of most of the brands, some of which aren’t available in my city. So this book didn’t shed that much light on things for me. At the back of the book, she lists stores in each US state & in other countries as well. Her list of stores in my city is pretty basic but is a good beginning. The book was published in 2009 so it’s a bit out of date. It would be nice to see an updated version!
Anyhoot, each chapter has a category & she lists some items she recommends. I’ve heard of most of the brands, some of which aren’t available in my city. So this book didn’t shed that much light on things for me. At the back of the book, she lists stores in each US state & in other countries as well. Her list of stores in my city is pretty basic but is a good beginning. The book was published in 2009 so it’s a bit out of date. It would be nice to see an updated version!
July 21, 2010
This book was a requirement for one of my classes, and I am so glad it was. I got to learn about style and about sustainability. It went deeper into the world of fashion-and it really felt like I was sitting with Oakes talking to her about her favorite clothes, makeup, etc... It really shows that you can be both fashionable and environmentally friendly. It's easy to do, and feels so much better... I got to meet Summer when she came to our school and even got to interview her. She is as humble & down to earth as she seems in her book or videos. Her book captures her love & intelligence about the environment, and eco-friendly products extremely well.
Check out the interview here: http://www.kstatecollegian.com/edge/p...
Check out the interview here: http://www.kstatecollegian.com/edge/p...
March 3, 2014
A book written with an emphasis on choosing your style in a way consistent with sustainable fashion (that holds up well when measured against the substance of sustainability.)
Oakes has a well-thought fashion agenda that she combines with extensive examples. Though published five years ago, most of this holds up very well. She provides a whole compendium of sources and references for both fashion and beauty while explaining much of what is being emphasized (and avoided) in the manufacturing process.
A scientist by training and a fashion model for some of her adult life, Oakes is knowledgeable and coherent in her approach. Her sense of display heightens the graphic content of the book.
Since, I bought it used for about one dollar, I wasn't disappointed that her emphasis rarely singles out male choices. But, there is enough content for all to get something valuable from this very readable book.
Oakes has a well-thought fashion agenda that she combines with extensive examples. Though published five years ago, most of this holds up very well. She provides a whole compendium of sources and references for both fashion and beauty while explaining much of what is being emphasized (and avoided) in the manufacturing process.
A scientist by training and a fashion model for some of her adult life, Oakes is knowledgeable and coherent in her approach. Her sense of display heightens the graphic content of the book.
Since, I bought it used for about one dollar, I wasn't disappointed that her emphasis rarely singles out male choices. But, there is enough content for all to get something valuable from this very readable book.
January 13, 2011
This is a great book for browsing, because it's incredibly visual--lots and lots of pretty, pretty pictures!
I like Oakes' attempts to highlight a variety of styles, price ranges (even though most of the clothes are still out of mine!), and approaches to eco-friendly design. I also really enjoyed her interviews with designers and entreprenues in the field.
I'm a little torn, because on the one hand I like that she presents a variety of approaches to eco-fashion without making a hierarchy of them (some start with recylcing, others are focused on organics, some begin with fair trade), on the other hand I wished she had provided a little bit more comparative information in the cosmetics section.
I like Oakes' attempts to highlight a variety of styles, price ranges (even though most of the clothes are still out of mine!), and approaches to eco-friendly design. I also really enjoyed her interviews with designers and entreprenues in the field.
I'm a little torn, because on the one hand I like that she presents a variety of approaches to eco-fashion without making a hierarchy of them (some start with recylcing, others are focused on organics, some begin with fair trade), on the other hand I wished she had provided a little bit more comparative information in the cosmetics section.
June 24, 2014
Featured in
35 Budget Living Picks for National Book Lovers Day on ShoestringMag.com
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When a model decides to write an expose on the eco-sins of the fashion and beauty industry, every gal out there should take notice. Find out why Oakes is the resident expert at Treehugger & Planet Green and where she shops in this coffee table book of sustainably style.
When a model decides to write an expose on the eco-sins of the fashion and beauty industry, every gal out there should take notice. Find out why Oakes is the resident expert at Treehugger & Planet Green and where she shops in this coffee table book of sustainably style.
July 6, 2009
What is not to love about this book? Shows the reader a bigger picture than what we see on the department shelves. This book brings together the seller, producer and even the growers for the materials and ingredients of the clothing, accessories and beauty supplies that we buy and own.
February 9, 2010
I was disappointed that just one out of the four recommended stores in my area actually sold sustainable clothing. Two went out of business, and the other one did not carry any sustainable clothing. At least I found one store to meet my needs.
April 23, 2010
Great pics and ideas to try naturally...even with hair, nails, make-up, purses, shoes, and clothes....have not yet tried but wrote down some sites. I will have to get my own copy in the future if I want to take this seriously or buy it from people who make natural soap, hair products, etc.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews