FabSugar

Enter For a Chance to Win a $2,000 Gift Card!

Sponsor — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:00:33 PDT

It’s time to renew your wardrobe, and we’ve got just the ticket . . . cotton! Since cotton is “The Fabric of Our Lives®,” we want you to make it a part of your life. Enter the Cotton Lookbook Challenge for the chance to win a $2,000 gift card. All you have to do is visit the online shopping destination, ShopStyle, and create a look using cotton or cotton-blend articles of clothing. Is a cotton-lace mini on your wish list? Or maybe a cozy, cotton sweater? No matter the statement you want to make this season, create a look around it, but be sure to join the Cotton group on ShopStyle to make it count. For inspiration, visit Cotton’s website. The more looks you create, the better chance you have, so get carried away with cotton now.

Spotted: Cotton on the Spring 2012 Runways!

Sponsor — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:00:44 PDT

Designers were in full force this season to charm, shock, and satisfy fashion enthusiasts. We saw bold separates, bright colors, sexy sheers, and sassy layers. The colors popped and so did a certain fabric . . . cotton! Whether in unexpected citrus, cobalt blue, or pops of neon, the versatile and eco-friendly fabric was all over the catwalk. And for those of us who love a smooth transition from season to season, we’re in luck, because dresses over pants will take us there. So whether you rock your favorite pair of cotton leggings underneath a hot dress or sport an open knit over a neon, cotton tank, you’ll be fashion forward and comfortable.

Well, Wouldn’t You Know . . . It’s Cotton!

Sponsor — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:00:21 PDT

From textured dresses to menswear-inspired pieces and adding layers to keep them cozy, Fall is all about The Fabric of Our Lives® . . . Cotton. Dominating the scene are lace, romantic dresses, miniskirts, or sweet blouses, designers are incorporating the texture to keep it lovely for ladies this Fall. Too chilly for a lace mini? Layer a pair of your favorite leggings underneath with a pair of tall boots; two of the hottest Fall trends rolled into one trendy outfit. Since Fall can be fickle - warm one day and cool the next - keeping a jacket on hand is essential. So be inspired by the menswear trend, and invest in a Cotton tuxedo jacket. The trends will keep you cool and chic throughout the season, but the fabric will ensure comfort and versatility. It’s the best of both worlds!

Stay Cool, Calm, and Collected in Cotton

Sponsor — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:00:49 PDT

Round out Summer with the hottest staple of the season – the cotton cocktail dress. No longer just the fabric of your favorite vintage tee, cotton fabric keeps you cool and comfortable without sacrificing your impeccable style.

The hottest fashion designers are sending it down the runway, and style icon Kate Bosworth is constantly pulling it off. Versatile enough to go from day to night and the perfect, fashion-forward fabric for high temperatures, your cotton cocktail dress will have you looking and feeling your best for a night out on the town. Get more information and style inspiration on the coveted cloth here.

Get the Look: the Oh so Chic Cotton Commercial

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:00:00 PDT

The interiors used in the latest Fabric of Our Lives cotton commercial with Leona Lewis are absolutely gorgeous and I'm determined to make the space mine! With Asian-inspired lily wallpaper, a striking red grandfather clock, a green tufted chair, a Hollywood Regency style sconce, horse photography, and a Boston Terrier pillow, it has a perfect, eclectic mix of styles. While the influences are all over the place, the palette is somewhat reserved, with mostly reds and whites and one parfait pop of faded green. The diamond and square door treatment is also quite fantastic and totally doable way to spice up simple doors!

Want to learn how to get the look? And find that fab wallpaper? Then continue reading.

Etsy Find: Recycled T-Shirt Rug

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:00:54 PDT

Looking for an eco-friendly alternative to a fluffy shag rug? Then try this Recycled T-Shirt Rug ($48) from Etsy seller Talkingsquid. I love the deep navy blue hue of this particular area rug, but if blue's not your bag, Talkingsquid makes these rugs in a variety of colors and sizes. Constructed from discarded t-shirts, Talkingsquid hand cuts t-shirt strips and sews them onto a durable cotton jersey t-shirt base. You can handwash the smaller size rugs on the delicate cycle, but larger rugs (such as the five by eight foot size), should ideally be dry cleaned, given their size.

Guess What This Rug Is Made From?

CasaSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:00:34 PDT

This cotton shag rug is made from remnants of something we all have in our closets. Can you tell me what?

Style For Style: Easy Traveling With Cotton

FabSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:00:22 PDT

Even though it's been a while since the Transportation Security Agency implemented airport liquid regulations, I don't think I'll ever get used to it. Simply put: it's freaking annoying. But, I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize my trip. What I can do is minimize the liquids I take on my travels with me. For cotton items, like this Victoria's Secret Plaid Shirtdress ($68), I learned a brilliant solution to keep them wrinkle-free and travel-easy.

To easy-travel with cotton,

read more To keep my cotton dresses, shirts, and pants crisp, I use spray starch, like this Faultless Spray Starch ($4). When traveling, however, I don't bring the bulky can with me. So here's what I do . . .

Spray all cotton clothes with starch the day of the flight.
Cover them individually with a plastic bag.
Neatly fold them into luggage or hang them in garment bag.
Upon arrival of destination, take starched clothes out of plastic bags.

Just don't forget step two; you don't want to mess up your non-cotton clothes.

What Fabric Do You Wear Most Frequently?

FabSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:12:22 PDT

According to WWD, Millennials, or Gen Yers (born 1983 through 1994), overwhelmingly prefer cotton.

Source

Want Cheap Clothes? The Cotton Industry's Not 100% Fit

CitizenSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:58:32 PDT

The global economy is about to hit your Saturday morning shopping spree. As we've seen food prices grow in response to higher crop prices, fashionistas should be ready to see their clothes prices follow suit, and it's a two-piece problem.

People watching their purse strings are causing garment makers to see a rapid decline in their own bottom line. Demand is down wildly. US cotton consumption alone is set to fall 6.5 percent from last year.

And you can partially blame the environment on the ever-spendier tee. More cotton farmers are swapping to more lucrative crops - soybeans, corn, and wheat - whose market prices are rising even faster. Why are these crops more enticing? The prices of these crops have been pushed higher by a mixture of subsidies and growing demand from biofuel producers.

It's not just shrinking cotton crops: energy, wages, the oil to transport goods, all make the shirt on your back cost more. Manufacturers, just like us, are hit by XXL oil prices, making their factories more expensive to operate which means pricier shipping to foreign markets. To see the human cost of the cotton trade, and how BBC sent six fashion-plates to work in an Indian garment factory,

read more. On Indian cotton farms, farmers facing strangling bills and held at the mercy of the global market and crop hardiness, has led the country to see more than 20,000 suicides by debt-ridden farmers in the last ten years. The numbers are rising. Currently about six farm suicides are reported daily. BBC has made the garment trade in to reality (television) with a mini-series called Blood, Sweat, and T-shirts. Here's how they describe the show which sounds fascinating:

Six young fashion addicts experience life as factory workers in India, making clothes for the British high street. In this four-part series, the six work in the mills of India’s cotton belt and stitch clothes in cramped back rooms, sleeping next to their sewing machine. See how it changes their attitudes to cut-price clothing.

I might move abroad just to catch this show. Have your shopping habits changed? Is it an issue of cash or global consciousness? Do you pay attention to what a garment is made of before you buy? Does it surprise you that the focus on biofuels has had such an impact on the clothing market? Source