Susan Woo's Eco-Friendly RTW

Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhen I see the words eco-friendly or sustainable in reference to a new fashion collection, I tend to zone out. I just can't shake the association between recycled clothing—or clothing made from recycled materials—and memories from my undergrad days when the happy hemp crowd would distribute "study brownies" and literature promoting, among other things, the earth-friendly decision to adopt a barefoot lifestyle.
More From ELLEStella McCartney's collections are obviously an impressive face for what green fashion can look like when money is no object (this coat? I die.), but when it comes to the more modest price-points, only a handful of lines spring to mind, and within each, only a handful of pieces even come close to passing the critical I-would-never-have-guessed-it's-green test.
But then along came Susan Woo, and for lack of a better reaction, like whoa.
A designer whose work experience belies her young age (at only 26, she's already tenured at Louis Vuitton, Derek Lam and Chanel), Ms. Woo debuted her first environmentally conscious RTW collection this past February, and as you can see in this one dress alone, the results are chic as hell. Modern, inventive, artful—Woo's clothing is the sort you're just as likely to see on tailored socialite Olivia Palermo (unsurprisingly, she's already a fan) as you would on a risk taker like Rihanna or Rachel Bilson.
Pieces in Woo's eponymous line run the gamut from office casual to date night, with prices between $345-$1,250 (the wool-gabardine strapless dress with peekaboo navel window shown retails for $1,058). Select looks from her label will be soon be available at Kaight in NYC and H. Lorenzo in LA.



For more on Ms. Woo's works of environmentally conscious art, check out her website.
Photos: courtesy of Geordie Wood

Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowFor jewelry and handbag designer Genevieve Jones, dreaming up bold accessories is all in a day's work. Her eponymous line is all about the layering of textures and surprise touches (think diamond-encrusted safety-pin earrings). Hot on the heels of her shoot for an upcoming issue of ELLE, Jones stepped out last week wearing multiple rings and bracelets, a chunky necklace, and two-tone metallic clutch, all from her line—disproving that old less-is-more rule. To finish off the look, Jones paired her all-black Charlotte Ronson top and pants with shimmering green Christian Louboutin platforms, which she fell in love with at the shoot and just had to borrow for the evening.
—Violet Moon Gaynor



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​When I first heard about the Stand Up™, a glossy pink origami triangle designed for women to stand up and pee out of—like dudes—it didn't occur to me that it was designed to be a practical thing first and foremost. I assumed it was just, like, a gimmicky thing with a somewhat funny "empowerment" purpose: to allow women to stand, tall and proud, and unleash an oh-so-masculine waterfall of urine, then exit the restroom with more swagger than usual.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below But this assumption is actually the opposite of entrepreneur and Stanford graduate Sara "Queen Pee" Grossman's intentions. She designed the Stand Up ™ for the festival-going woman who never wants to squat over a disgusting Burning Man Port-a-Potty again. (Even if you're not a festival-goer, don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about.) Grossman got the idea on family road trips, when her brothers had it way easier than she did at truck stop restrooms. When we squat, explains Grossman, we "feel off-balance, like we're about to fall through the stall door, or maybe like we're modern-arting a one-of-a-kind pee splatter painting for the next unlucky hopeful-sitter." So she wanted to create something to fix that. Enter the Stand Up.
More From ELLEThe product is biodegradable. It's also pink. Like for girls! (Originally, says Grossman, she'd printed four colors, but a therapist friend of hers mentioned that pink was considered especially soothing. "In the end, I realized I wanted my product to be easily recognized and communicated, so I chose just one color—pink was the obvious choice. I liked the way it looked, too, so cute and fun.") Each cute little Stand Up is one-use, but comes in multiples: There's the Purse Pack, which contains 6 individual Stand Ups, for $6; The Festival Pack (3 Purse Packs, $16), and The Super Woman Pack (6 Purse Packs, $30).
Before the Stand Up, a similar product called Pee Buddy was developed in India in order to spare women UTIs and other diseases frequently obtained from unsanitary public toilets in Delhi. Some significant differences, however: Pee Buddy, with recommendations from gynecologists and obstetricians, has much more utilitarian—and less feminine—marketing. In fact, while the product simulates male urination, the Stand Up (which Grossman emphasizes is not a device, but an accessory) is all about preserving femininity in the face of the public toilet gross-out: "I believe women can have a hygienic and dignified peeing experience if they so choose.")

Also unlike Pee Buddy, the Stand Up includes an optional subscription service—a fad that's definitely having a moment right now, from tampons (HelloFlo) to workout clothes (Ellie, Fabletics)—for the woman who finds herself on frequent road trips... or, I guess, has some other reason to spend a lot of time in truck stop bathrooms? Oh, girl.
Full disclosure: I tried the Stand Up this morning, not at Coachella, but in the comfort of my apartment. To get the full experience, I tried it first thing in the morning (after a night of maybe-possibly-OK-definitely watching Frasier reruns and drinking a bottle of rosé alone).​
It worked... surprisingly well! I'd been afraid of peeing on myself, considering I was starting from a 5-year-old boy level of standing-urination skills, but nary a drop was spilled. After you're done, you toss it out. Functionally, it's flawless. What was more important to me, however, was the inherent confidence I felt as I peed while standing, as opposed to shrinking down onto the seat like women usually do.​
Science backs me up: In her research about "power poses," Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy found that standing straight, with your hand on your hips and legs slightly spread, jacks up your testosterone, raising your confidence and decreasing anxiety. She calls this "The  Wonder Woman" pose. It bears a striking resemblance to dudes peeing... and to the posture I assumed to use the Stand Up. And, frankly, on my way out of the bathroom, I swaggered a little.
I don't think I'll be making the Stand Up a habit, but if my definition of roughing it went beyond "taking a $36 barre class that doesn't have a shower," I'd definitely be a subscriber. ​
Buy your Stand-Up here.

EverettDear E. Jean: My single girlfriends and I want to know why new men we meet keep sleeping over after sex instead of getting dressed and leaving like men are supposed to! We try to come up with the perfect way to get them to leave without losing them forever, but we can't find the words. Even if we really like the men, we don't want to compromise our beauty sleep to be cuddled or snored at all night. Plus we're working women, and we want to leap out of bed, drink our green smoothies, do Pilates, and go to work—not pretend that we eat eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast.
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowI think this is a new phenomenon. I don't remember this from when I was 22. Is it because our beds are better than theirs? Or because we can afford nice duvets? Or are we just too desirable for our own good now?—Bothered by the Pesky New-Guy-Sleepover Problem
Miss Bothered: It's not the duvets. It's the dudes. And you're right. The sleeping giant snoring and belching under your D. Porthaults is a "new phenomenon." And, worse, this may be just a hint of hideous things (soaking their delicates in our bathroom sinks, slathering our $150 eye creams on their feet) to come.
More From ELLENot to say we don't love the lads—chasing them is the highest entertainment. But according to my Ask Eeee mail (the greatest trend-spotting apparatus on earth), men have become the new women. We've hunted, called, texted, G-chatted, and FaceTimed the chaps so often that they've stopped making moves. We chase. They run. We call. They hide like Jane Eyre. And when they finally do surrender and agree to a bonk, by God, they expect to be cuddled! (And stay the night.)
It's gotten so bad, my friend and I speak about her ex-boyfriend as "the young lady in California." So of course you want a "perfect way" to get men "to leave." Follow these steps:
1. When you meet at the restaurant for dinner: Greet him with a siren kiss and say, "I can't let you keep me up too late, darling, it's a school night." (This works particularly well with guys who actually are in college, or with men who think they are.)
2. When you arrive home and reach your bedroom, as you pull off his jacket, whisper: "Since you have to leave so early tonight, I hope I can see you next Saturday." (Now he won't feel like a slut.)
3. When you send him out the door: Pop a bagel in a bag, hand it to him, and say, "Breakfast for my gangsta boy!"
It's a tough world for men. Some newer models have been pampered by hovering mothers. Thus, to work properly, they may require cuddling. And this is not the first appearance of the new-guy-sleepover fad. The great Colette wrote about it nearly a hundred years ago when she described one of the most ravishing boys in literature, Chéri, returning to his mistress because he couldn't sleep with his skinny wife. His mistress, Léa, "makes a place for him in the hollow of her comforting side like a mother animal."

EverettDear E. Jean: Men prefer younger women for sex—it's the way their brains are wired, I understand. But must they have younger women in the office, too? Since I've reached my thirties, my boss makes jokes about how I'm "too old for PR." He laughs and says PR is a "young person's game."
I can't help but wonder: Should I start looking for a career more suited to an "old woman"? My public-relations work is in health care, and many physicians I've worked with have told me how knowledgeable I am. But some of the men running things are egotistical jerks. Should I just give up and throw in the towel? My life feels like it's over! —Throw Me Out With the Trash
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMiss Throw Me, Darling: Pfffft! A woman doesn't know a damn thing till she's 30. So, pour yourself a martini and pluck yourself up by those bra straps. Auntie Eeee is about to tell you the Facts of (Office) Life:
First, you're living in a world fueled by 19-year-old MIT grad students. These kids hold more patents than Thomas Edison. (For instance, Niniane Wang, an adviser to our start-up, Tawkify, graduated from Caltech at 18, holds 30 patents granted and pending, and is one of the best-dressed women in Silicon Valley.)
More From ELLEUnfortunately, these tykes stay up all night building new technology that can replace you. If you want to keep any job today, not just one in public relations, you've got to work harder, work smarter, and acquire a new skill about every 15 minutes.
And second, if you are not inventing newer, brighter versions of yourself with upgrades every couple of weeks—you're standing still. And standing still is the same as getting "too old." And getting too old is when you stop reaching for excellence. So raise that martini, Miss Throw Me, and drink deep. Here's your handy guide:
The Nine Rules for Reinventing Yourself
1. Don't let your "assumptions" determine who you are.
2. Don't waste time yearning for flawless bosses. Every morning tell yourself: "Today I'm going to meet a dingbat, a chump, a jerkweed, a weakling, and a scoundrel, and I'm ready for them!"
3. Don't pay for a course from an "online university"—take the free online classes offered by Harvard, Duke, and Stanford on Coursera.org and EDx.org.
4. Don't crash industry cocktail parties. Crash $5,000-a-plate lunches. You'll meet a smarter bunch of people.
5. Don't stroll through a museum—run through it! You'll get swift ideas.
6. Don't jump out of a plane unless you tape your ankles first. (Trust Auntie Eeee on this one.)
7. Don't listen to your dreams. Listen to your fantasies.
8. Don't take up a new hobby unless it frightens you.
9. Don't take a pole-dancing class. You can have the same effect on men by staring into their eyes on the subway.
P.S. I just checked with Niniane Wang about the number of her patents, and she burst out with: "OMG, there are times when I feel just as daunted by societal pressures as the person who asked the question. I actually feel kind of guilty that I'm being used as an example to make other people feel daunted, when I myself sometimes feel daunted. I'd probably be daunted by me too."

Courtesy of RizzoliAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowOn shelves this fall, Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour (Rizzoli) provides the most comprehensive collection of the famous fashion photographer's work to date. amazon.com

Getty ImagesAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowCelebrity hair pro Lorri Goddard-Clark is colorist to Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon. She is also the author of The Hair Color Mix Book: More Than 150 Recipes for Salon-Perfect Color At Home. Here, her must-see tips for DIY hair coloring.
How do you pick the most flattering hair color for your skin tone and eyes?
If you look into your eyes you will see little flecks. If they are golden or yellow, a natural match would be warmer hair colors. If they are bluer or deep bluish black then a natural match would be neutral or cooler tones. To enhance your skin tone, never go more than two shades lighter or darker—this guarantees that you won't fade or wash away your natural beauty.
More From ELLE When is it okay to do at-home highlights and when should you go to the salon?
When you're going for a look close to your natural color—for example, you have naturally light brown hair and want some pale honey highlights—DIY kits are fine. But if you want highlights more than two or three shades lighter than your natural color you should see a professional.
What precautions should you take when doing at-home highlights?
Always wear an old button-up shirt. This way you don't risk highlighting your clothes or ruining your highlights as you pull a tee over your head. And don't forget to set a timer. It's easy to get distracted with phone calls, emails, texts, television, reading, etc. Also, after each highlight wipe your gloves off on a towel—this keeps excess product from wandering to hair pieces you don't want to highlight.
Any highlight application tips you won't find on the back of the box?
Add one teaspoon of olive oil to the highlight bleach of your choice. I do this in the salon; it won't affect the performance of the product but it will give it a smoother consistency which yields even prettier highlights.
Hair glazes are more popular than ever. How can you recreate a salon-like glaze at home?
First, choose hair color the same shade as yours—if you have dark auburn hair, choose dark auburn hair color. Next, shampoo your hair, towel-blot, and detangle. Take the developer bottle and pour out half of the developer, adding water in its place; this allows the color to become a standard deposit-only gloss. Mix the color and distribute through your hair. Leave the mixture on for three minutes then rinse, shampoo, and condition for a gorgeous, shiny finish.
What are your hair color trend forecasts for the new year?
Sun-kissed highlights are always in, but I think platinum one-process hair color has made a comeback and will continue to do so. We'll also be seeing more cyber '80s dos with touches of wild pinks, blues, greens, and black in unexpected places, as well as luxe all-over color—think richer reds, deeper browns, and glistening blacks.