Green is chic at Eco-Fashion Week

It's not easy being green.But the designers who are showing their collections at Vancouver's first ECO Fashion Week are making it easier. Day one saw runway shows from Chicago based Lara Miller, Australian based Pure Pod, Eden Organic Menswear and local designers NIXXI, Lav and Kush and Kdon by Kim Cathers.

One of the principles of eco fashion is buying local. With that in mind, I thought I would focus on the three local designers who showed their collections last night.

My favourite piece from the entire night was from the Kdon by Kim Cathers show.

This tiered cream skirt is perfection. I just love it. You could dress this way up and it would work for fancy pants parties or dress it down with a vintage jean jacket and sparkly sandals. I could also see it working in winter with black opaque tights, killer heels a black turtleneck and black velvet belt.

NIXXI

The clothes featured clean and draping silhouettes with a soft, feminine feel. The fabric, whether it was linen or knitwear really dictated the cut of the clothes. My favourite look from the show:

The cropped slim flax coloured pant paired with the sky blue sleeveless button up blouse reminded me of a beach with its washed out palette.

Lav and Kush

As I mentioned yesterday, Lav and Kush was one of the shows I was most excited to see and it didn't disappoint. Designer, Angela Saxena showed a lot of great dresses, some tailored shorts and separates and one top with lace-like appliqué detailing on the yoke. Many of the pieces seemed to have a vintage feel to them and that might be why I liked them so much. My favourite look from the show:

This denim blue coloured blazer and dress combination. The blazer was tailored so well to fit the body and came down a little longer in the back for a very flattering fit.

Kdon by Kim Cathers

The Kdon show opened with a video about designer Kim Cathers' textile recycling initiative Our Social Fabric. The collection entitled Dreamcatcher seemed to draw from different tribal influences and far off places be it South America or Japan. Whether they were ruched, draped or gathered, the clothes were mulit-dimensional and featured some intricate detailing. One of my favourtite pieces from the show:

This mossy green knit dress with flax coloured detailing. The shoulder straps tied in unexpected bows in the back.

I was quite smitten with many of the accessories that were used throughout the night, especially at the Lav and Kush and NIXXI shows. Both featured jewelry from local designer Dotted Loop, who creates one of a kind pieces by reworking vintage.

One last thing to note is that you'll need to tone up your legs for spring as shorts will be a big look again. You could hit the treadmill at your gym more, but I've got a better idea. Dust off your bicycle and use it as your main mode of transportation and you will have gorgeous gams by spring AND you'll be lessening your impact on the environment.