Recently in Eco-chic Category

I find the wool zebra clutch from Stella McCartney quite interesting-- the subtly pleated clutch with gold tone hardware has a very lady like vibe until you open it and see the black vinyl and chain detail-- pure rock rebel! Yes, Stella is the daughter of a Beatle and has been known to produce overpriced plastic bags but don't hold that against her. She's actually a talented designer and credited for bringing Chloe back to life (Phoebe Philo was her protegee and took over after she left the brand). Of course during those days she used leather and fur. Nowadays she is very creative with her vegan line; the use of wool in a zebra print is beautiful and a nice alternative to satin or leather for evening. I wouldn't advocate its use for summer, however, as the website does. The last thing I want to do in 90 degree weather is clutch a wool bag! I'd save this for the Fall and wear it with an array of cashmeres and knits-- it's 20cm wide which is a generous size for a clutch and will be great for luncheons, too. The price is not too ridiculous though it's not cheap-- Stella McCartney Wool Zebra clutch $515 at Net-a-Porter.com.

What do you think?

Remember the "I'm not a plastic bag" craze? Of course you did =) Well, get ready for the next storm to hit. The Flea Bag rage is gathering strength at the celebrity level and you will be seeing, hearing and buying a lot of this as editorial continues to flood worldwide. The original design was intended for the flea market, thus the name, to fit all your purchases while shopping. What makes it timely is the eco-conscious part, it is not vegan but the leather uses vegetable dye, the canvas is all organic hemp and cotton and the ink on the print is water based. There is nothing toxic, not even glue! And they are handmade in New York so you are also supporting the dying fashion manufacturing there. Essential for the summer for beach, on the road and weekend getaways. Or if you love flea markets and farmers markets, use it for what it was intended and avoid all those plastic bags! It is pretty big, 16" x 16" at its widest. Comes in white, pebble, saddle and coffee bean leather trim. At Luxcouture for $395 I also saw it in orange, which is fab, at WWD.

UPDATE: Already the demand is out of control on these bags and the designers have raised the price to $415. Hope you got one while you could at $395!!

We have the ultimate gift guide for the ultimate mom! We are giving you fantastic ideas so you can be sure to get your fantastic mom (or your baby mama) the gift she deserves. There is something for every kind of mom, all Snob Worthy of course =) Also, share some of your good ideas and some gifts you have given from past Mother's Day that were a huge hit.

Click here for The Ultimate Mother's Day Gift Guide.

Photos from npr.org

Happy Earth Day! Make sure you recycle everything, including your books. And I'm not talking about making them into paper again. Caitlin Phillips has a line of bags that she makes out of old books. She guts the pages and uses just the spine and covers, then lines it with fabric and adds a handle. She only uses books that are being thrown out from libraries and bookstores. Kind of a cool idea although the handles can use some work. Maybe it should just be a clutch with a really cool clasp that sits flush and snugly around the book. Then you look like you're walking around with a book, an erudite snob. She said that books are already an accessory, you decorate your house with books and people have giant libraries displaying all that they've read and know. It shows that they are smart and well read. True. But when you tear out the pages and use the book cover as a bag, what does that say about you? That you can't read and only care about looks? Bags range from $120 - $165.

I can't believe I am falling for this but this Adidas bag by Stella McCartney is really groovy. For a gym bag. But if you are vegan and eco-chic, this might be just the thing for you. The grosgrain straps set against the gray nylon is very chic indeed! It also has a rounded balloon shape so it isn't just another tote, there are side straps that allow the bag to expand so go ahead and throw in your own towel, the gym towels are always too scratchy anyway. The top opens all the way up with a zipper which allows easy access to big items like your shoes, or actually my shoes, size 10 sneakers take up A LOT of room. I don't even have a problem running around town with this if I have to, I really like it! And the price will really put a smile on your face, only $160 - finally a Stella McCartney for the price that a non-leather bag should cost!! At Net-a-Porter for $160.

Environmental and economical, just the combo we need right now! Just like Obama's economical stimulus plan of going green and saving our bank account - except this plan gets you a super cute bag along the way =) I actually bought Matt & Nat bags for my vegetarian sister in-law and I was expecting to get a plastic-y and sticky faux-leather looking thing but these bags look really good. The design also helps, they are actually stylish instead of some bohemian, crochet, home-made pouch with yarn string straps. Seriously though, these are good enough regardless of your dietary choices - the Frugal Snob price tag and environmental conscious materials are icing on the cake. I like the metallic, it adds to the distraction of it being non-leather and the texture makes the silver look more expensive, for silver that is. Of course the black is always the safe choice to hide any limitations of synthetic and is obviously more practical. The asymmetrical zippers and tab details are super chic and the hobo shape is back (although it didn't leave for very long). At Neiman Marcus for $240.

This is not just another reusable canvas bag to save the world from endless plastic bags, this bag also raises awareness as well as contribute much needed funds toward cancer research. This bag, being sold at Kitson, is $52 and the entire amount will go to Stand Up To Cancer. Be eco-chic, have a cool bag, help cancer research and let people know what you stand up for, all that for $52! I say that's money well spent. Put this on your holiday shopping list, who wouldn't appreciate a gift full of meaning? Get it at Kitson.

Read other eco-chic bags features.

Guest Blog by Julia DiNardo of Fashion Pulse


As if you didn't know it was cool to care, Rihanna is certainly showing her eco-allegiance via the reusable tote, My Bag Cares. Instead of going for an uber-expensive "it" bag, Rihanna opted for this $25 washable linen tote meant to deter frequent plastic and paper bag use. The best part? For each bag purchased, a tree is planted.

Other celeb-sightings with this particular bag have occurred, including Kelly Ripa, Rosanna Arquette, and Shannon Elizabeth. We do adore this bag and love the chic "tree hugger" concept, but also got to thinking about what other cool eco-friendly totes and bags on a mission are out there!

No need to go exclusively plastic being a vegan fashionista, this Ports 1961 hickory clutch is certainly a more stylish alternative.  It is in the shape of an oyster, how is that for sexy?  I really can't imagine a plastic or nylon clutch being anywhere near acceptable (I suppose satin is ok) but even if you love animals when they're dead, this novelty piece can be a good segue to turn a conversation about saving gas and being green to fashion.   Tia Cibani always uses different types of wood each season for her bags.  This one was bought by MoMA for their holiday catalogue.  We will have to wait until then but seeing how time flies, it will be no time before we are decorating with tinsel.  The Ports wood bags are a favorite among celebs, I wouldn't be surprised to see this grace the hands of Natalie Portman.

I have done my part by purchasing almost every 'Green' bag out there and I use them dutifully at stores, but I have never found one that was truly "chic". Eco-- yes, chic-- no. Most look like potato sacks and though we feel good and smug about ourselves when we carry one (as we sneer at those still using plastic bags), we don't feel stylish. But finally, someone has done it right! Kooba's green tote is the BEST eco-chic bag EVER! Not only is it made of organic cotton canvas, it has a very cool recycled metallic cork trim which gives the unbleached cotton just the touch of glam it so needs. How creative is that!?!? This giant tote is 14" x 18" x 6.5", perfect for my beach vacations and for stuffing it full of groceries. Available in Natural and Pale Olive. Exclusively for Barneys Green for $245, okay so it's not $35 like the rest of them but hey, you get what you pay for and this is absolutely Snob worthy!!!

What do you think of Eco Chic bags? Snob or Slob?