The Perfect Eco-Friendly Outfit: Fantasy vs. Reality

I just returned from probably the only “vacation” or out-of-town trip I’ll get this Summer and as I wandered around shopping outside in Winter Park, FL with my dad, I tried to imagine vacationing in some exotic locale, eating wonderful food, and taking in beautiful sights. And then I started thinking about “resort” wear – you know, the usually incredibly overpriced collection designers do for the jet-setting among us – and what would be my ideal eco-friendly Summer sightseeing outfit.

But…with my budget the way it is right now, I can’t exactly afford my “fantasy” outfit, so I decided to challenge myself to put together an outfit for less than $100 (shoes, dress & bag). The “reality” outfit isn’t meant to be a cheaper version of the “fantasy” outfit (I really hate “look for less” editorials); it stands on it’s own. And I think it “stands” quite well actually!

Fantasy

I LOVE this handloomed bamboo dress by Lara Miller – it’s slinky, but not revealing, and totally practical for a day of sightseeing and lunch on some exotic tropical isle (this IS the fantasy…)

I’m still a huge fan of metallic shoes/sandals because they act as a neutral and go with everything. I’m partial to silver (I have two pairs of silver sandals I wear all the time) and in this case, I think silver goes better with the gray tone of the dress. The sandals are vegan and by Neuaura:

And finally, no outfit can be complete without a great bag. I really feel like this outfit begs for a handheld bag and I think this one made from recycled leather/suede by Dean is PERFECT:

Reality

I am constantly praising etsy as a great place to find eco-friendly plus size fashions, but have generally neglected it as an overall eco-friendly fashion resource. No more. There are pages and pages of fabulous organic cotton sundresses by great etsy sellers, like this one by SeaOfTales. They’re not all necessarily cheaper than buying from a retail store, but some are, and nothing beats being able to work directly with the designer to get a dress made JUST for you!

And how cute are these vegan sandals…for $19.99???

And again, as with the outfit above, I really prefer sundresses with smaller, handheld bags, so I chose this hand-crocheted, fair trade clutch by the Autonomie Project in a bright by complimentary color to the dress:

Now that I’m finished, I think I like the “reality” outfit just as much as the “fantasy” outfit…so why spend nearly $500 more??

What do you think? Got any fantasy eco-friendly pieces to share?

Tagged as: autonomie project, eco-friendly fashion, etsy, independent design, lara miller, neuaura sandals, vegan sandals