Flourish in five flowery summer outfits

Eco-stylist, Dawn Mellowship, puts a spring in your step this summer, with five outfits inspired by this season’s flowery trend.

Summer is here yet again and we are all patiently waiting for it to stop raining, but just because the weather is gloomy, it doesn’t mean we have to be. Fashion is taking its cue from nature and flowery garments and accessories are a sure fire way to boost your mood and remind you of lazy sunny summer days. If the thought of flowers sends you running for the hills, you can inject an element of floral rather than going the whole hog and causing unsuspecting passers by to mistake you for a field full of blossom.

Ethical fashion is all about protecting the environment and people, so it makes sense to purchase flowery fashion that causes minimal impact to the planet. To get you started I have chosen five outfits that will keep you cool and leave you looking blooming marvellous! Most of this items can be purchased online at The Natural Store, or via the actual labels themselves.

1) All in the yellow (as seen above)

Anatomy Muslin Lace Camisole Top, £75.00 – made from organic muslin.
Emmeline 4 Re Box Pleat Skirt – Honey Rose, £75.00 – made from vintage, reclaimed 100% cotton fabric.
Snood Shrug, £39.00 – handmade in England from reclaimed and vintage wool.
Terra Plana Goa Off-white, £75.00 – recycled, vegetable tanned natural hemp.

2) Party in pansy

Enamore Pansy Cotton Shift Dress, £150.00 – made from organic cotton sateen certified by SKAL.
Beyond Skin Larry B Pointed Toe Kitten Heel, £167 – made from purple satin.
Bourgeois Bohéme Sandy Small Beige, £32 – textile with silver metallic tinge.

3) Yummy flowery mummy

Enamore Short-Sleeved Kimono Top, £65.00 – handmade in England in hemp/tencel fabric.
Emmeline 4 Re Midnight Forest Skirt, £75.00 – made from vintage, reclaimed 100% cotton fabric.
Charmoné Monarch Ribbon Tie-Up Flat Cool Green Blue, £149.00 – made from Italian microfibre faux leather.

4) Short, psychedelic and sexy

Emmeline 4 Re Unique Neck Tie Blouse French Lilac, £60.00 – made from vintage, reclaimed 100% polyester fabric.
Ciel Denim Shorts With Waist Tie, £130.00 – Denim, My Wardrobe.
Terra Plana Juniper Shoe, £95.00 – recycled vegetable tanned leather.

5) Floaty Romantic

Pardess Frenchie Bustier Camisole, £115 – 100% organic cotton.
Pardess Petal Skirt, £170 – 100% organic cotton.
Hetty Rose Yuki Vintage Kimono Shoes, £320.00 – vintage kimono.
Sarah Donegan Marry Handbag, Tea Pot Lace, £120 – made from vintage textiles and trims, The Green Apple.

Dawn Mellowship is the UK’s first online eco stylist offering a range of styling services and online ethical fashion resources. No matter what the occasion, Dawn will find some fabulous ethical fashion that suits your style and personality. Her website can be found at ecostylist.co.uk.

Vegan shoes galore!

Vegan shoes used to be frumpy, clumpy and incredibly unattractive. Those days are thankfully gone and there are now some wonderful vegan footwear brands, producing striking and cruelty free footwear. Many people like the comfort factor and breathability of leather shoes, but unfortunately it's a dirty business. Millions of animals are slaughtered every year for their skin, being subject to castration, branding, dehorning and tail docking (minus anesthetics), before bleeding to death and being skinned. Animal skin is then converted to leather with dangerous chemicals, dyes and other toxins, that are exceedingly harmful to people and the environment. Rearing animals whose skins are eventually transformed into leather uses vast amounts of fossil fuels. Farm animals create large amounts of toxic waste which is absorbed into the ground and surface water, polluting wells and rivers and contributing to global warming. The vast amount of land used for grazing also contributes to a negative environmental impact.

A study carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed that a solvent utilised in tanning leather has been linked with a heightened risk of testicular cancer. Additionally when you buy leather products, you may sometimes be purchasing leather from Asian cat and dog tanneries. For more information see Cowsarecool.com.

There is an alternative. Some fantastic vegan footwear brands have emerged that provide stylish and ethical vegan shoes. Three of my favourites are featured below. I will be featuring more in coming weeks!

Beyond Skin

Beyond Skin is an exclusive vegan footwear label that was established in 2001, by Natalie Dean, a make-up artist in the music and fashion industry. Beyond Skin footwear is hand-made to order in the UK, by a small manufacturer in East London, utilising a range of man-made fabrics such as polyester (kinder to the environment than viscose, which is processed with acid chemicals) and cotton backed polyurethane (which is less damaging to the environment than PVC). Polyurethane is not perfect by any means, but it is a whole lot better than leather! Beyond Skin is a firm favourite with celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Sadie Frost, Amanda Holden and Joanna Lumley.

Hot Pick - Sui Generis Angelina almond toe court, in a variety of vegan fabrics, £284.

Charmoné Shoes

These are my current favourites. Charmoné Shoes were founded in 2006, by Jodi Koskella and Lauren Carroll who noticed a gap in the market for stylish vegan footwear. They work with the aim of producing beautiful, luxurious and sexy shoes that are environmentally friendly and cruelty-free. The shoes are crafted in Italy, utilising high quality Italian microfibers that are constructed like leather, allowing the skin to breathe. The materials used are free from PVC, instead using a polyurethane coating.

Hot Pick - Ginseng half D'orsay open toe platform, laster cut microfiber faux leather, $315.

Bourgeois Bohéme

Bourgeois Bohéme, a 2007 PETA Proggy Award winner (for Best Cruelty-Free Shoe Retailer) is a trendy on-line boutique providing a range of vegan, natural and organic accessories for men and women. Their products are ethically sourced and the leather alternatives they use are mostly biodegradable. Bourgeois Bohéme endeavour to use recycled products when possible and are Vegan Society approved, as well as being PETA Business Friends.

Hot Pick - Amelia White vegan dress shoe, faux leather, £45.