Just as I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, I watch the Oscars for the gowns. While white was a top choice this year, apparently so was green. Several actresses chose eco-friendly creations from top designers. Livia Firth, wife of actor Colin Firth and Meryl Streep both got in on the green action. Streep wore a gold eco-certified fabric Lanvin dress. Livia’s Valentino dress used a fiber made from recycled plastic bottles and cruelty free silk. Normally, the silk worm is killed in the production process to prevent it from eating through the long silk threads as it emerges from the cocoon. Cruelty free silk allows the worm to emerge from the cocoon and then the silk is harvested.
Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of director James Cameron, also brings sustainability awareness to the red carpet with her dress design challenge Red Carpet Green Dress. Any amateur or experienced dress designer can enter the competition. Actress Missi Pyle, who starred in the Oscar winning movie The Artist, wore the winning creation. Her dress was a vibrant aqua blue gown made from cruelty free silk, repurposed zippers, and recycled polyester lining. Perhaps the most unusual materials were used to design actress Emmy Rossum’s bright yellow pre-Oscar party dress made from pineapple fibers and manila hemp. The red carpet at the Oscars seems the perfect place to showcase that sustainable clothing has come a long way from organic cotton and can truly be a thing of beauty.
Do you look for eco-friendly materials when buying clothing?