Repurposed, upcycled, one-of-a-kind — these terms are everywhere these days, but independent jewelry designer Kay Adams doesn’t use them lightly. She does take vintage jewelry apart and puts the pieces back together in the most dramatic yet delicate fashion; and when she makes a piece, she’s not going to make it a second time. So if you’ve bought it, you’ve got the only version out there.

Kay makes all the pieces in her Richmond, VA studio, using hundreds of different tools and selecting from over 1400 categories  of sorted jewelry. According to Kay, her work is “the tangible result of insatiable curiosity, obsessive collecting,fervent love of vintage treasures, intense imagination, overloaded passion. . . and TOOLS!” Yet, it doesn’t hurt that she and her mom, Judy Rogers, have been dealing antiques from their shop Anthill Antiques, for the past 14 years.  It was only a matter of time before her unique perspective found its way around a woman’s neck.

The approximate starting price of a Kay Adams necklace: $65. Shipping and handling fees from Richmond, Va: $8.95. Knowing you’ll be the only woman wearing the necklace, ever: priceless.

For more information, you can call Anthill Antiques at 804.254.2000 , or email them at info@anthillantiques.com.

-Kaci Hamilton

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It was only a matter of time before Sophie and Lisa came up with another brilliant idea they simply had to share with their adoring fans. Et voila, Viva Vena! The brand’s newest line retains the signature hand-drawn prints and neo-Dada photo collages, while providing more casual staples at a lower price point. Retailing for under $200, the t-shirts, tanks, and dresses are a mix of organic jersey with silk details and made in the designers’ hometown of  Los Angeles. They’re just the thing for a beach jaunt, or an impromptu picnic in the park.

Viva Vena! will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Scoop NYC, Nordstrom, Opening Ceremony and a host of other retailers.

-Kaci Hamilton

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-Kaci Hamilton

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If this week’s Brown Shoe Co preview is anything to go by, we have some beautiful footwear styles to look forward to this spring. Lots of color, laser and eyelet-inspired cutouts, and wider heels will make for very chic looks in 2011. The always classic Franco Sarto was on  hand, as well as eco-chic newcomers Naya, and lots of rockstar-inspired styles from Unity by Carlos Santana and Fergie.

Franco Sarto (who was actually on site!) showed a plethora of practical styles that will transition well from work to after-hours cocktails. Lots of mixed textures included suede with metallic, basket weave wedge heels, and simple stitching details.

Fergie channeled her time spent on stage right into her footwear collection, with funky lucite heels and ribbons of electric pink and green. Her Fergalicious line will also have all the same fun flirtatiousness for the wallet-pleasing price of under $200, with mass retailer distribution.

Unity by Carlos Santana is sticking to what works; instead of creating a bunch of new styles, the brand is revamping their best sellers, giving shoe mavens more texture and colors to their staunch favorites.

Newcomer Naya (launched in spring 2010) promises to make pounding the tough sidewalks a breeze, with arch support and cushy padding in eco-friendly ways. The brand’s mission is to constantly find and incorporate  ways to be earth-friendly: they use all natural materials, vegetable dyes, recycled cork and bamboo for their heels. Even their boxes are made from recycled materials and have less of all that wasteful paper stuffing.

-Kaci Hamilton

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For FPD’s eco-conscious readers who are consistently torn between saving the planet and doing it stylishly, you’re in for a treat. LooptWorks was launched in September 2009, when some apparel industry veterans merged Pacific Northwest eco-sensibilities with their love of fashion. The line takes the top-quality scraps from big fashion brands and creates cool, contemporary separates. The city girl with an outdoorsy heart can find sleek hoodies, menswear-inspired shirts, jackets with playful pops of plaid and whimsical graphic tees that retail from $24-$180. Done in half the time, with half the resources, the finished product is a hand-numbered collectible that’s one of about 500. Better yet, each piece is double-needle and triple-needle stitched to last way into next season.

There are some crafty accessories too, like laptop sleeves made from upcycled wetsuit material (a match for Ra’mon’s avant-garde neoprene dress from Project Runway’s Season 6, perhaps?)

LooptWorks has inspired us to coin a new adage: one man’s scraps is another’s sartorial savvy.

-Kaci Hamilton

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Oboe Bags (pronounced oh-beau)  -stands for ‘One Bag One Earth’, made of reclaimed, recycled materials, are re-usable, and can fold up super small! Bags start out at about $5, depending on color and print.

Sprout Watches these watches range from 80-86% eco-friendly, and include materials such as corn resin, recycled fibers, organic cotton, bamboo,and a mercury free battery. The coolest part – it’s biodegradable! Watches retail for about $30.

Green Planet Search You can buy acreage and view all of the vegetation and animals on the land — in a rainforest reserve!  I may not be able to afford a square inch of land in NYC, but hey — at least I have a bit of rainforest to show off!

Essence of Vali Situated in the West Village, this brand takes aromatherapy to a whole new level — they are 100% natural and smell so great – terrific to mist in the air before you go to sleep!

Naya Shoes Made of recycled and sustainable materials, while maintaing a sense of style!

Burt’s Bees is leaving the hive this month with the launch of their new All-Natural Toothpaste line. Made with plaque-fighting cranberry extract, PH-balancing mineral compounds, xylitol and peppermint oil, the bees have created a buzz-worthy all-natural product that, unlike other existing brands, does not use artificial additives, like sodium for foam. The natural formula has earned the product the honorary title of the first-ever NPA (Natural Product’s Association) sealed toothpaste, boasting two versions – fluoride and fluoride-free  - of the three types: Multicare, Whitening and Kids-friendly. available in the aisles of Duane Reade, Wholefood’s, Target, Walmart and Rite Aid and hope to reach the international markets in the future. Browse burtsbees.com for free samples and $1 off coupon.

In addition to their new toothpaste, Burts Bees is honoring its co-founder who left the city and his job as a photojournalist to epitomize the simple lifestyle of a modern transcendentalist in rural Maine. A true environmentalist, he attended the first ever Earth Day and is a passionate supporter of the eco-movement. Refresh your eco-friendly status here and burt-ify yourself with an interactive survey that speaks to your environmentalist side.

Gilt Groupe is donning green too, offering an exclusive Earth Day sale on Thursday, April 22^nd to benefit the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy. Not only will the sale vend designs from Loomstate, Matt & Nat, Leigh & Luca, Dr. Hauschka and Edun, but the Gilt ‘Gift Tab’ permits shoppers to be extra eco-chic with sales of organic totes, tees, soy candles, recycled scarves and environmentally friendly make-up. Still, we’re most excited for gifting bundles of trees through American Forests – at a dollar each, why not sponsor a forest?

Rachel Roy: Recycled Reused is a new program taking off in honor of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, headed by this snug eco-soft cardigan available at Macys.com. Its official, dear reader, green is the new black.

-Maria Eilersen

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Doing good is definitely the new chic. To be more precise, sustainability is on the minds of many brands these days –  H&M just released its first sustainable, organic collection, but before the massive chains jumped onto the environmental bandwagon, Simple Shoes was already pioneering green shoes with its dedication to using recycled and organic materials. The plastic it uses is from the water bottles you thoughtfully left in recycle bins, the squishy touch insoles in some Simple styles are from used carpet padding, and even their shoe boxes find their origins in recycled paper. To take a step further, Simple Shoes’ latest development is making biodegradable shoes: while normal shoes might take over a thousand years to degrade in landfills (incredible, right?), the brand’s new technology turns your abandoned Simple Shoes into nothing in twenty years.

All this talk of sustainability might be making you think plain or utilitarian rather than chic or cute, but Simple Shoes knows the true meaning of eco-chic. Their sneakers come in bright, contrasting colors for those of you looking for a pair that can spice up an outfit and pull you through a long trek. For Fall 2010, Simple Shoes released its Take On Ribbon shoes (picture above), which feature soles made from recycled car tires and ribbon laces made from…recycled soda bottles! Comfortable, chic and sustainable, Simple Shoes makes you feel good in every single way.

Julia and I both put our Green Toes into Simple Shoes (excuse the corniness…). They were truly comfortable and – before the rain became depressing – perfect for spring!

- Justina Lee

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Metropolitan Pavillon in NYC is hosting its annual Vintage Clothing Show this weekend, composed of an astounding 90 different vendors. The collections fuse ‘80s funk with Victorian class, sprinkling garments with a bit of seduction from the ‘40s. And since estrogen tells us one can never have enough LBD’s, the epic vintage affair is displaying a special exhibit on the transient wardrobe staple. The show begins Friday, February 5th (1pm-8pm) and continues on Saturday, February 6th (11am-6pm). It is not limited to women’s apparel, so bring your guy along! The selection is sure to tempt both sexes (of which you can read more about here).

-Maria Eilersen

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This week, College Candy schools Fashion Pulse Daily on the fashion industry’s wasteful ways.
Guiltless & Glamorous continues its Welcome to the New Year series with a run-down of great cruelty-free hair products to introduce to your haircare regime in 2010. Posh Swaps is excited that 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and explains how this is relevant to the fashion industry.
Shopping and Info loves the eco friendly Toms Shoes worn by Julia Roberts.