[On the Eco-Hunt] Spotted: Alkemie Jewelry

Super cool husband and wife duo of Alkemie have created an environmentally conscious, beautiful line of jewelry made from 100% reclaimed metals: copper, sterling and zinc. Additionally, all of these designs are manufactured by hand in downtown Los Angeles. Alkemie promotes fair trade, local living wage and eco-sustainable business practices to combat the existing harmful effects and conditions of the metal and gemstone industry; including social issues such as children working in dangerous conditions to mine and mount stones as well as environmental ones like toxic chemicals from mines seeping into the surrounding land and severely damaging precious watersheds.

Besides being kind to the environment, Alkemie’s jewelry lives up to the talk. They have numerous coverage from Lucky Magazine to WWD and loved by stylish celebs like Vanessa Hudgens and Erykah Badhu. Now they’re letting you take part in their mission in their newly launched on-line where you can directly buy from them. Each month, they will donate 10% of all of their retail sales to charities they believe in. Check out their newest designs on their website and all the good that they‘re doing at www.alkemiejewelry.com.

Mara Hoffman's Summer Safari

Mara Hoffman's SS11 Collection is something I could envision becoming my entire Summer wardrobe. The bold tribal prints, laceup oxfords, bright primary colors, cute topknot hairstyles, and of-the-moment silhouettes are seriously all I want to wear once the weather turns warm here.

Rarely can a designer so perfectly balance between the realms of trendy and wearable, but I think Mara Hoffman has it down to an art form.

What look could you see yourself wearing?

xoxo, lauren

I am.. the Matchbook Girl

This page from the new online lifestyle mag, Matchbook, seriously could not describe me better. I love all of these things, and I've decided I pretty much am the Matchbook girl! The mag is amazing, it's full of interior design, fashion, and entertaining inspiration!

This is a collage inspired by all the things she loves.

Are you a matchbook girl too?

xoxo, lauren

Kate Middleton: Fashion Royalty

   I'm not sure why, but there's something so hopelessly romantic about Prince William & Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding. Sure, it's a lot of pomp and circumstance, but all the tradition and beautiful dress and ceremony are like a fairytale. I think it's something that people are really getting wrapped up it seems to be like an escape in all the serious things going on in the world right now.

Kate Middleton is certainly going to be a style icon across the world. With all eyes on what she's wearing right now, she hasn't disappointed. My favorite part of her style are the quirky headbands, which I learned are called "fascinators", feather headpieces, and unique hats. They really are outfit completers, and I'm sure it'll have a trickle down effect in the fashion world!

These are some of my favorite Kate Middleton inspired head pieces:

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?

xoxo, lauren

[On the Eco-Hunt] Spotted: Natural Fashions

Last week of our month long Eco-Hunt! We have one more spectacular earth-friendly fashion find to feature! Stay with us!

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Everything at Natural Fashions is made in India and each item is a reflection of that. Upon walking into their showroom, I was met with bright paisley prints, splashes of color, and animal designs paying homage to the rich culture that is India. Out of this large collection, Natural Fashion boasts a small eco-focused line of scarves that is quintessential “LA cool”. These scarves, made with a bamboo blend with viscos, are lightweight, sheer, and are softer than cotton. I tried on the ivory and didn’t want to take it off! It was the perfect throw-on to a casual T-shirt and jeans or a sheer cover-up to a summer dress. They also come in black, peach and teal. Check them out and find out where you can buy them at California Market Center, Suite A-321, and (213)-622-9706

Find LPF Likes on Tumblr!

Hey y'all! I've joined the tumblr bandwagon as a place to store my overflowing file of inspiration images. Follow my tumblr @LPF Likes & pretty please leave me your tumblr address- or one of your favorites so I can visit yours!

Happy Monday!

xoxo, lauren

Try this Trend: Sassy Shorts

Denim shorts are a summer staple, but, lately shorts printed w/ everything from florals, to american flags, to dip-dyed fluoresecent shades have been popping up on the trend radar. While I oogled all the outfits from Coachella music festval, I couldn't help but notice all the awesome shorts the style makers were rockin.






Here are a few pairs of bold shorts to try out this trend:

Would you wear a pair of sassy shorts?

xoxo, lauren

Lovers and Nomads: Bec & Bridge

Australian fashion designers (and chic aussies as well) seem to have wearble but trendy style down to an art form. How awesome is this lookbook from duo, Bec and Bridge (Becky Cooper & Bridget Yorston)? Their collection titled, Lovers and Nomads is inspired by, “the eternal traveller, a globe trotter who loves to collect and salvage trinkets and treasures from their adventures".

Between the ombre purple hair, over the knee boots, tie dye, wrist full of bangles and that amazing dream catcher tunic, I'm pretty much obsessing over all that this lookbook contains. Here's a few pieces inspired by their collection of  too-cool looks.

xoxo, lauren

Under the Western Sky

Nope, still not tired of cowgirl editorials, this one from Elle Russia is beautifully photographed; it reminds me of O Brother Where Art Thou! I can't believe how much they're trending lately. I'm head over heels for the leather boots, big metal accessories, peasant blouses, and antiqued white lace, so I'm not complaining.

xoxo, lauren

[On the Eco-Hunt] Spotted: eDressMe's Earth Day Sale

Reposted from The Recessionista™ Blog, frugal fashion trends

As some of you may know, Earth Day is this week.  This may be the time to discover eco-friendly fashion. This week website eDressMe is offering 20% off their sustainable dresses made from biodegradable materials.  The sale offers a range of fashions from maxi dresses in bright,cool colors, plus cocktail dresses with ruched detail and boho-chic tops. If you're interested in checking it out, click here.  Use code EarthDay20 to save 20% until April 22nd.  Featured designers include EcoSkin and Jonano.

[On the Eco-Hunt] Spotted: COIN1804

Headquartered in the California Market Center, the Los Angeles based Coin 1804 is all about fusion and teamwork. Its founders are husband and wife duo Garsi Lee and Phillip Kim whose talents for design and business, respectively, are the perfect balance for this exciting niche brand.

With an education from Parsons Design School and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Garsi is the creative force of the team. With the joint force of her husband Phillip Kim, the team created their own label, naming it after the concept of “cotton innovations” shortened as COIN and their respective birthdates 18 and 04.  Together, they have designed a collection of women’s tops in the finest quality domestic cotton fabrications, mixing cotton with woven fabrics to create a unique, yet subtle detail in their tops. Their showroom is also a space of collaborations. It promotes sustainability with its vintage décor such as the salvaged chandelier and room divider but the room is also garnished with a custom designed, iron-welded structure made by Phillip himself.

COIN 1804 not only contributes to the local economy by manufacturing the entire collection in the USA, but also promotes awareness to preserve nature and the ecosystem. Their tops, designed with original artwork by Phillip, are printed with nature motifs such as trees and animals. More specifically, COIN 1804 designed limited one-of-a-kind cotton tees to support the Save the Whales campaign and save the wildlife campaign during the recent, devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Since its launch, the label has been a strong sell through for its precise blend of classic timelessness with on-trend details and accessible price points. Available at retail from $25 to $110 in over five hundred specialty boutiques nationwide such as Fred Segal, Nordstrom, as well as in Asia, Canada and South America. With plans to develop further into a full-on collection, COIN 1804 is fast becoming fashion’s new must-have brand.