What to Wear, Now through Fall

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As we consumers do our part in mainstreaming a greener lifestyle, it's important that we also do our homework before we buy. Take PVC vinyl, whose production releases cancer-causing dioxins. While shopping this summer, Cara McCaffrey, a young New York mom of two, was disappointed to find the PVC incorporated in otherwise natural-fiber bags. "Calypso is currently stocking a 'pirate' beach bag that is lined with PVC," notes Cara, who also saw a beach tote at Hold Everything that boasted a "moisture resistant PVC" design.

Along with the growing global market come those who take advantage of the green trend, offering "environmentally friendly" products of dubious origin. Claims such as "green" or "natural" are actually so vague as to be meaningless, says Urvashi Rangan, who vets labels at Consumers Union. Another example of greenwashing is when a company employs a wildlife or nature theme. You may look like a woodsman or ready to canoe in your moose-print shirt and chinos. But most likely you are wearing clothes grown with pesticides and chemicals that contaminate fields, trickle on down to water supplies and cause harm to all life. An ironic take on greenwashing can be found in an "urban vermin" T-shirt, graced with pigeons and rats but made of 100 percent certified organic cotton and packaged in recycled materials, by glo4life in Australia (see "What You Can Do").

Has eco-shopping got legs? On high-school campuses where I substitute teach, kids continue to pioneer with bold fashion statements but are not yet riding the green wave—unless the clothing or backpack is from a popular company like Nike. "Even then it must look good," says Long Beach Polytechnic High School junior Nayla Cortez. Her best friend, Kathryn Ayon, wonders if there's a chance that Forever 21 will be turning green in the near future. "For kids to wear these kinds of clothes, the logo or name will have to be hip and popular," says Polytechnic English and dance teacher Rita Marks. In a hopeful trend, green is joining forces with worker welfare, a cause that resonates with college students (see Green Guide #104). My niece Ashley Wallace, who just graduated from New York University and works for American Apparel, introduced me to the company's sweatshop-free, USA-made, chic organic T's—for about the same $15 price as at the Gap, which has yet to take these steps.