By Lucille Chi •
May 2, 2009
Last year we shared our admiration for Brazilian shoe maker Melissa and the evolution of their footwear designs and this year their recycled plastic shoes never looked so good!

“The environmentally sensitive sandal is ethically made in Brazil in a closed loop system so there is no waste. The Gladiator is made from recycled MEFLEX plastic and provides amazing comfort for your battle weary feet.”
By Lucille Chi •
March 9, 2009

These vegan Do-Ni Nobilia ballerinas are enchanted magic slippers that are :
- designed by two seasoned vegetarian shoe designers.
- fair-trade, handmade in Portugal by artisans
- constructed of water-based glues, French ribbons and low-solvent Italian pleather, recycled insole boards.
- created for comfort with an elasticized band at the edges, padded insole for a perfect form-fit.
Do-Ni saves on brick ad mortar retail costs and virtually sells direct, then donates to charities you choose like Best Friends Animal Society, Medicines Global, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and 100% of proceeds are donated to participating non-profit organizations.
By Lucille Chi •
July 19, 2008

Natalie Portman Has Our Unabashed Support
While we’re on the topic of ethical footwear this week, Natalie Portman has recently designed a line of vegan shoes for Té Casan, and she is having a sale.
In between being a superstar, a main feature in Elle and speaking out for PETA, she has also found the time to design darling animal-free footwear. Her designs are cute, classic and sophisticated. I dig the Potok and the Pixie (shown below), both on sale.
Natalie has been a vegetarian since age 8, and always noticed the lack of animal-friendly footwear in the luxury designer marketplace. “Té Casan, well-versed in recognizing and developing new talent, collaborated with Portman for her 100% vegan collection.”
By Lucille Chi •
July 5, 2008
Last season, I made a little inspiration board of stylish spring crushes, and now in the same spirit I’d like to share a small photo collage of styles I love this summer:

Clockwise:
- The Luna Bikini via Green is Black, is a repurposed lycra bikini, with tie back halter triangle cupped top, and bottoms with a gathered tie in the middle back. They are made in the USA and sweatshop free.
- From Nau on, and thank goodness, Nau is back in business this summer with their classic looks in full effect this season, especially with their July specials. Celebrate the return of this brilliant organization with comfortable styles and cozy items half off all month.