The gorgeous girls at Green Grechen hosted a contest featuring clothing from Mountains of the Moon, and yours truly was a recipient of one green goody that I’ve been waiting weeks to show you! (Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to my workstation, because we had company.)
But first…
A little about Mountains of the Moon:
At the age of five, designer Melissa Baswell started creating clothing for her dolls using a needle, thread, and reused fabrics. In high school, she was the president of her school’s Ecology Preservation Club, and wore her own handmade clothing created from natural fabrics. While a student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Baswell divided her free time between interning with WISPIRG’s Environmental Education Department and recycling thrift store clothing into “renewed” garments on a hand-me-down sewing machine. Well before the green movement became popular, she was using organic cotton and hemp fabrics and dying with low-impact dyes in an effort to create fashion-forward clothing that would break the stereotype of eco-fashion being defined as bland, crunchy and boring.
A few years later, after much success selling her designs at local shops and events, Melissa decided to to form the Mountains of the Moon Eco-Fashion line.
Now based in Chicago, Mountains of the Moon Eco.Fashion is a sustainable design and apparel organization aimed at creating chic, high-quality clothing that helps, not hurts, the earth and its inhabitants. We see ourselves as collaborators with our customers in an effort to take a stand in making environmentally and socially responsible decisions through our wardrobes. Our goal for our company and our customers is to work together to express ourselves through fashion and art while making a profound collective difference in the state of our world.
… Mountains of the Moon represents more than just a clothing line. We represent the blending of fine art, style, ethics, environmental and social responsibility and awareness.
They have some gorgeous apparel on their site, and I chose the Lily blouse:
It’s slightly wrinkly for it’s maiden photo-voyage… but I wore it with ballet flats (H&M – not pictured) and a pair of black leggings (Charlotte Russe).
Wait… what was that you asked? Am I wearing leggings as pants!? Why … yes, I believe I am. Normally an inexcusable trespass, I did get away with wearing leggings as pants because this top is long. In fact, I’ve got about 5″ of solid coverage before I’d be in danger of showing up on DaddyLikey’s “Don’t Show-cha Your Chocha” posts. The guys in the office all thought it was a dress. Ha!
The top’s construction is totally solid and the fabrics are super lush. The print is a sateen-finished twill and the purple is amazingly soft to the touch. The top has loops to string the belt through – and my package included two belts for it in the print and the solid. The buttons are wood and the design is overwhelmingly adorable. I’ve worn this top 3 times since I’ve gotten it. It’s cozy enough to wear in my overly air-conditioned office, and cool enough to wear when the temperature was a blazing 103° (The Emerald City was a FURNACE! >.<).
Huge thanks to Mountains of the Moon and Green Grechen for the chance to participate. If you, dear readers, haven’t had a chance to drop by the MotM website, please do so – their line is luxurious and eco-friendly, without breaking the bank!
That top is ADORABLE! I’m definitely going to go check out the rest of the line
OMGthatshirtisincredibleanditlooksamazingonyou! (gasp for breath) And I’m down with leggings as pants in some situations. Especially in the case where it’s protecting you from Winona’s sharp crotch-eye. :3
.-= Jaka Merriman´s last blog ..Weekend Time-Wasters [August 07, 2009] =-.
That looks so cute on you
Er. They have a lot of cute stuff, but your idea of clothes that don’t break that bank is WAY different from mine. People that sell $300 dresses are waaaay outta my league o.o It’s presumably far better quality than the $15 tissue paper tank tops I scoff at on the rare occasion I’m in a mall, but I’m not really willing to spend that kind of money on clothes >_<
I do get where you’re coming from, Shi. I will say this: for quality, organic products – considering the fabrics (go price some of those fabrics yourself) – they’re not *that* expensive. $300 is a lot of money, but considering that the price range is anywhere from $19 for tees to the $284 for the dresses (I’m sure you were talking about the ones on the front page?), I’d say they have a lot of budget-minded finds.
Click around the site or check the sale section – there are a number of dresses under $100, and that cute Melanie skirt clocks in at a mere $32. I’d say that’s affordable.
Is is sad that I totally LURVE me some leggings? I fondly remember the leggings I grew up with (it was the 80′s, they had lace on the bottom, I love those leggings!)
.-= Hayden Tompkins´s last blog ..How to Set Boundaries With Your Eyeballs =-.
Ahh, your hair is so cool! Pretty dress too! Lovely lovely.
.-= GG´s last blog ..Fashion Rules (And Why You Should Break Them) =-.
I tend to be really, really stingy with what I’m willing to pay for clothes (I think my mental standard of appropriate costs of things got set in like, 1998), so I wince at anything that isn’t really inexpensive. I tend to prefer to shop at the thrift store if possible, though I’m trying to get myself to switch to buying less, nicer, slightly more expensive clothes, instead of having PILES of cheap stuff.
Wow! I saw that top in person at a Chicago event and it looks great on an actual body. I was stunned by Melissa’s choice of fabrics and colors. When I met her, I probably gushed about her line for about 10 minutes before scuttling off/making a bigger fool of myself.
That is totally a get-away-with-leggings-as-pants tunic. No worries.
.-= Miss Elle´s last blog ..Steve Madden gets the Boot(s) =-.
Hayden – Ouuu… I bet a pair of those would look REALLY cute with the MotM top.
GG – thanks! My besterest friend ever does my hair.
Shi – MotM would be a good place to start.
Elle – haha! I saw some chick at the KEXP BBQ/Mural concert on Saturday who was wearing grey leggings… straight up… with a cropped sweater and boots and I thought to myself “Now THAT is doin’ it wrong.” It’s a shame I wasn’t quicker with my phone – I should have snapped a photo.
The Charlotte Russe leggings have gotten a LOT of wear though. Thanks.