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Book Review: Green Is The New Black

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If you’ve followed this blog for a while, or dipped into the archives, you’ll know that I am really interested in ethical fashion. When the book Green Is the New Black came out, I was excited to read it. The blurb suggests that it will “show you how to salve your desire and your conscience, enjoy the good life in style, and look eco-fabulous in high heels (and hemp knickers)”, and I think it pretty much does what that says.

I would describe it as mostly a shopping guide, although there are chapters on DIY, entertaining (yourself & others) and travel. I read a comment on its Amazon forum which complained that it didn’t acknowledge the part that over-consumption plays in the environmental crisis, but I would disagree. It does accept that people need to stop being so wasteful and emphasise that it is always best to thrift, mend or DIY, but it also accepts that it is hard to change old habits and that there are some things that people will need or want to buy. Clothes, accessories and make-up do wear or run out so it is impossible to stop shopping completely, and this book is a non-preachy, useful guide to what to do when you do need a new bra or pair of shoes, for example.

I did find the information on cosmetics to be somewhat lacking. It doesn’t explain what to avoid and what to look out for when buying make-up, hair or skin care products, and I could have made a few more suggestions of recommended brands myself. Perhaps that’s because I am a makeup nerd. Compared to every other section, the cosmetics one was the worst.

This book is pretty gentle. It will not make you feel bad for all the unethical shopping you have done in the past, or shock you into developing a conscience you didn’t have before. It doesn’t talk about why you should be concerned about ethical fashion , it assumes that you are already. Some people may consider this a weakness, but I actually think it is a strength. Global warming is a controversial subject, and there are still many people who don’t believe it exists and so are not concerned about the environment. This seriously annoys me! There are many other reasons why we should be concerned about the environment, besides global warming. Amongst other things, fossil fuels are running out, the natural habitats of many species are being destroyed, and industrial waste is damaging to our health. It would irritate me and alienate some people if the book were to only talk about global warming, the issue du jour. Green Is The New Black also takes social ethics (fair trading, et cetera) into consideration and it would be a much longer book if it were to deal with all these things. I’m happy it skips that bit and gets on to the fashion, I find that more respectful of my intelligence and awareness of current affairs, however, the book does include a list of “Green Reads” for anyone who wants to know more about the science and issues, and provides letter templates to encourage readers to write to clothing companies and demand they be more responsible.

The writer has obviously done a lot of research and tested a lot of products. However, this book is intended primarily for readers in the UK, and people in other countries would probably be doing more harm than good if they were to get products shipped from the companies Blanchard recommends! As I said before, it is very gentle in its approach, so if you are already a hardcore paragon of ethical consumption, this book would probably not be very interesting for you, but for everybody else it is an inspiring read and I would recommend it.

Bling On Your Fingers

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Purple ring from Disney World, i am a feminist ring made from an old adjustable ring and a badge from MYMY.

I am a massive fan of big, colourful rings but they are not a particularly popular piece of jewellery. I think that this is for several reasons. Rings are quite a bit of hassle, they get in the way if they are too big, and in hot weather they can get tight on your fingers. Cheap rings also tend to fall apart quite quickly, because most people use their hands a lot. I have a ring which was an adjustable band with a butterfly on it. It was really pretty and I adored it but unfortunately the butterfly bit broke off when it got hit by the plastic flap on the ticket machine at a station. Yes. The plastic flap. Fortunately there were two of these rings at the charity shop that I bought it from, so I am going to return and see if I can get the other one. Then I will only wear it for special occasions, which makes me quite sad because what is the point of a lovely ring if it isn’t seen by as many people as possible?

The solution to the problem of rings has three parts.

1. Take them off to write, eat and do anything involving electricity.

There is no law that states that rings have to be practical enough to be worn at all times, or that one cannot line up one’s rings by one’s dinner plate.

2. Buy adjustable rings.

They can fit your finger whatever size it is that day, and they are far easier to get off – you can just pull them apart if you have to.

3. Buy rings you could fix yourself, or sturdier, more expensive rings.

I’m sure I don’t have to explain why.

An example of both a fairly sturdy ring and one that you could fix yourself is this Cloisonne Ring, and another is this Copper and Emerald one. Copper wire is really easy to find but it looks like enough was used to make it quite a strong ring that won’t squash easily. The advantage of copper is that it is quite flexible, the disadvantage is that it can stain your fingers green! This is easily solved by making sure you give it a good coat of clear nail varnish.

If this Elven Forest inspired ring were to break in two, it would probably be possible to use some wire to secure it together again. It’s made to order so it might be possible to request an adjustable fitting.

Rings that feature a flat disc attached to a ring base, like this vintage style flapper girl ring , or the Leaf Me Be Ring are often easy to repair with a drop of glue. I have one similar ring that I repaired once with a square of double-sided tape – it lasted for years, but I think that using the strongest glue possible is the best idea in that situation.

More expensive, more sturdy and hardwearing rings do not only include the dull, small variety that you can find at the jewellers. Tarina Tarantino, queen of ostentatious, colourful-to-the-point-of-being-horrendous-on-occasion accessories, has a selection of rings. To be honest I am appalled by the mere thought of a Hello Kitty or Barbie ring but I really like the cameo, tea-party and cocktail rings. They are big, bright and shiny. In terms of materials, sterling silver is a good bet as well as brass. Plastic and thin copper are less likely to last.

The no-longer-intact Butterfly ring, another Disney World ring – this time in green, and a carnelian ring.