A Green (White) Dress

***Hunter, you best stay away. My dress ain't in here, but some other ones are, and I know you just don't wanna go there.***

Alright alright, I've heard your plaintive cries regarding my wedding dress, and I will do what I can to ease your pain.

While I still have to keep my actual dress a secret, to preserve its anonymity from Hunter and any other wedding guests who may or may not be blogstalking me, I do want to share a bit more about what makes it special... beyond the fact that its mine, yo!

You may remember me mentioning that I worked off part of the cost of my dress by helping the designer around her studio. The designer, Deborah Lindquist, is an eco-responsible green clothing genius. She's known primarily for her use of recycled (or reincarnated, as she calls it) cashmere and leather, out of which she designs incredibly chic, funky and droolworthy fashions.

Can I get an O-Ma-Ga?

She also uses natural and eco-friendly fabrics such as hempsilk, muslin, and organic linen as well as vintage lace, kimono fabric and sari material in her designs. Each piece is unique and has a history... Its like walking art. I'm always blown away when I see her new designs, at how she's able to bring edge and modern style to these well-loved fabrics. With lines such as "Urban girl goes to the Alps, and "English girl goes to Tibet", you can bet her designs are multi-culturally influenced, and tell a story of transformation, no matter what the season. Honestly, if I had all the monies, I'd totally rock a whole wardrobe of the stuff.

Deborah heard the cry for green wedding fashion, and developed a bridal line to die for. Her dresses range from simple to stunning, and all are created in-house, to measure, using quality eco/natural or recycled materials. Some are short and sassy, some are long and romantic, some are just plain redonkulous.

Image 1: Made from a vintage lace tablecloth. Srsly.

Image 2: Hempsilk and vintage lace bustier - black, white and stunning.

Image 3: Vintage Kimono fabric covered bustier with hemp/silk organza skirt.

If you love her vibe, but none of her designs are quite tickling your fancy, she's open to custom designs. She's local to LA, but you can find her online, too.

It makes me so happy to be wearing a dress for my wedding that has such good karma behind it, and to have gotten to know the designer so well. It makes the experience all the more special, to know the people making my dress know me, and have my best wishes in mind as they sew it.

Now.... go over and have a look. See if you can guess my dress! (Hey you, if you're going to be at my wedding, please control yourself.... it will be worth the wait, I promise!)

Another great way you can be green about your dress is to buy pre-owned. Beyond local thrift stores, there are many wonderful sites on which to find dresses, from old standards like ebay and craigslist, to the newer sites geared toward resale like preownedweddingdresses.com and BravoBride.

How is your white dress green?