Eco stylehunter Lianne Ludlow joins greenmystyle’s experts

Lianne Ludlow, founder of Marie Claire‘s favourite ethical fashion boutique Fashion-Conscience.com, is to join your favourite eco style glossy (that’s us!) as an expert. Think of her as our uber style guru, a Mary Portas or a Gok Wan, making sure we’re writing about the very best in eco style from around the world. greenmystyle.com editor Sarah Woodhead gets straight in with the important questions (about the perfect jean and style icons of course!)

Sarah: Lianne, we’re thrilled that you’ve agreed to be one of our experts. Fashion-Conscience.com is doing a great job of bringing stylish ethical fashion to the fore. You’re like our very own Gok and Mary rolled into one.
Lianne: It’s a pleasure. I just like the fact that greenmystyle is treating eco style as it should be, celebrating style that is green as a bonus. One of the reasons a lot of people have failed to warm to green living until now is because the perceptions are of it being hippyish, unstylish and lumpen. We live in world where almost anything is possible, so why not eco fashion, living and beauty that is as well designed as anything else? By writing in a modern, fashion-conscious way and with a fresh look and zeitgeisty feel, you’re proving everyday that green is where style is at.

Sarah: Who do you think would make a great modern (ethical) style icon?
Lianne: I am a big fan of Alexa Chung’s style – she is a known eco fashionista, having designed for Made jewellery, and mixes up vintage with new. I would like to see her wear a bit more eco fashion every day, and would love to dress her for a red carpet event to prove eco is stylish enough for any event.

Sarah: What’s a good place to start for girls who want to green their style but aren’t sure how?
Lianne: I would say firstly, do you know your own style? The reason so many women end up with wardrobes stuffed full of pieces they don’t wear and get sucked into fast fashion is because they don’t have a clear idea of their own style. Once you do it’s much easier to apply what you like and suits you to buying ethically – be it new and ethical or vintage.

If you already do know what you like, start trawling – trawling eco fashion sites like www.fashion-conscience.com which bring together many designers under one roof, vintage shops and fairs.

If you don’t have much money and want to go eco in a credit crunch budget look hard at the pieces you already have. Don’t just through them out as the jackets is the wrong style right now. Could brass buttons make that coat bang up to date? Could a fringe on that silk scarf make it really now. Get creative with the clothes you already have.

Sarah: Have you found the perfect eco jean?
Lianne: I would say I have found the perfect wide-leg high-waist jean – Serfontaine’s organic Belted High Waist jeans (pictured) are gorgeous, soft, stretchy, seriously flattering. I’ve seen them on women from size 6 to 14, and they look amazing on all of them. Serfontaine’s Low Pro style is almost a near perfect jean as well, in terms of mid-blue, a bum-lift, and soft organic cotton. When it comes to sexy skinnies I love Kuyichi’s Neneh – I adore the zip pocket detail, and one season they did them in purple, which hit every button for me.

Sarah: I love the jacket you’re wearing in the picture of you here.
Lianne: Thank you very much! It’s a Julia Smith silk hemp jacket over an Ethical Justice Foundation Luella Bartley tee. I also had on Del Forte Ivy high waist black organic jeans that day – in case you’re interested!

Sarah: Do you choose eco products for your home too? And what about beauty products?
Lianne: I try not to buy unnecessary home wares, it’s all too easy to end up buying for the sake of it. When it comes to furniture I have always preferred furniture with history, or adapting old pieces. My bed is French 18C headboard and footboard, but we adapted an old futon to become the bed base. I have a Victorian oak chest, and chaise longue, and other furniture is mostly vintage 60s Danish, with retro chandeliers.

My old desk was a piece of glass over two 60s aluminium filing cabinets and the bathroom floor is reclaimed oak taken from an office in an old colliery. I have to admit I don’t buy a huge number of beauty products, but when I do, I like ranges you can decant from, to reduce packaging, and use natural and organic ingredients such as Origins, Kiehls and Aveda.

Sarah: We’ve just launched a sister glossy magazine, a “Vogue for vintage” called QueensOfVintage.com. What’s your favourite vintage find?
Lianne: I’ve seen QueensOfVintage.com, I love it! It’s a tough question – I have some great dresses, boots, jewellery. I once wore a black shoulderless 50s style vintage dress to a friend’s wedding which I totally forgot about and recently re-found. I just found a 60s glass and steel cocktail cabinet which reminds me of stainless steel trolleys you used to get in bathrooms, it’s in a bit of a state and is awaiting some TLC, but I know when I get a chance to smarten it up, it’ll be an amazing home for bathroom bits.

Sarah: What do you wear when you want to look really special?
Lianne: I usually wear a vintage dress with tights and stratospheric heels, big statement jewellery. I love dresses and by buying vintage you know you’ll never see anyone else in the same outfit.