Ecouterre

Photos by Arthur Eisenberg

The GreenShows at New York Fashion Week officially came to a close Wednesday night with C. Marchuska's Fall/Winter 2010 show, which presented a melange of clean, versatile pieces directed towards the socially conscious, fashion-forward woman. Catherine Marchuska and Brooke Bresnan, the two Wall Street execs turned eco-designers, really flexed their eco-chic muscles this year, with seriously alluring attire in fluid jerseys and shimmery satins, all while keeping utter wearability in check. True to C. Marchuska form, the classic pieces have major staying power, making them all the more sustainable.

Pulling together looks from eight different eco-designers to create one cohesive show can't be easy, but the team players at Ekovaruhuset did it with flair on the final night of the GreenShows on Wednesay. Featuring the Fall/Winter 2010 collections of designers Johanna Hofring, Meiling Chen, Tor Söderin, Renata Mann, Mika Machida, Kaori Yamazaki, and Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard of Eko-Lab, the show delivered intricate crochet work, organic fabrics, and hand-painted charcoal-ink prints from Emmy Award-winning artist Jennifer Wen Ma.

Its name might be a pickle to pronounce, but Deux FM's Fall/Winter 2010 runway show on Wednesday at the GreenShows made up for it by being very easy on the eyes. Set to a soundtrack of '30s love songs—and modeled by statuesque beauties that recalled the screen sirens of yore—designer Anna Gilkerson's flowy and irresistibly femme wrap dresses, pencil skirts, and car coats transported organic and sustainable fashion to a bygone era of glamour.

For Fall/Winter 2010, Popomomo's Lizz Wasserman envisioned a City of Quartz, much like the subject of Mike Davis' treatise on the future of Los Angeles, a "cold but beautiful city with straight lines and sharp shadows." Wasserman designed two prints this season: one invoking quartz crystals and the other inspired by CIA satellite images of polar ice caps. Swaddled in moody, nouveau neutral palette of steel gray, charcoal, and indigo, punctuated with bright spots of teal, Wasserman's pieces were an exercise in geometry, balance, and wit.

It's hard to restrain ourselves from calling Samantha Pleet's Fall/Winter 2010 collection "cute" without infantilizing it, but the erstwhile Bodkin designer's pieces exude an unselfconscious charm that is irresistible. Awash in organic wool, Chinese mud silk, and recycled Ultrasuede—and inspired by what Pleet describes as the "mysterious and fantastical experiences" that punctuate her everyday life—the stark and sharp silhouettes embody a kind of magical realism that Pleet wishes to impart, in the manner of Amélie Poulain, to both dear friend and friend-she-hasn't-met alike.

This may only be Susan Woo's third season on her own, but the burgeoning New York designer's sleek, polished lines and dramatically sculpted details belie her youth—she's only 27—and her eponymous label's fledging status. Woo's Fall/Winter 2010 collection, unveiled on Saturday at Manhattan's Bryant Park Hotel, was a battle royale of earthy solids (dark green, brown, navy blue), obsidians, creams, and blistering scarlets. Suffice to say, the unexpected pops of red ruled the collection—quite apropos considering that it was the eve of both Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year.

Marking its debut at New York Fashion Week's the GreenShows, the Thieves by Sonja den Elzen collection was, at first glance, post-apocalyptic, bleak and, combat-ready. Upon further inspection, however, the transient asymmetrical shapes and costumey details like fitted bodices and Star Warsesque hoods were interpreted in a black-on-black color palette that made them surprisingly suitable for everyday wear. We were impressed by the line's eschewal of trends (something that all eco-fashion lines should strive for) and we heard audience members gushing about pieces they were keen on snagging for themselves. Take a look through all of our pics, but be warned that they don't do Thieves justice as the garments are much more stunning in real life.

While a New York snowstorm swirled outside, Willian's runway show kept the GreenShows toasty inside on Tuesday afternoon. Long lines, sheer detailing, and cat-scratch T-shirts made us long for the days of spring when these clothes would be perfect for a night out on the town or an afternoon in the sun.

If anyone knows anything about upcycled fashion, it's designer, nay, visionary JoAnn Berman. She was dreaming, cutting, and Frankensteining up new garments from vintage and found fabrics long before the term "eco-fashion" was first uttered. At New York Fashion Week's the GreenShows on Monday, Berman's "Thunderbirds" collection was so retina-searing that the designer herself donned sunglasses for her final bow (or rather, dance) on the runway. Don't believe us? Click on through our slideshow.

While no animals were harmed in the making of Vaute Couture's Fall/Winter 2010 collection, the vegan and eco-friendly outerwear line sure knocked us dead at the Green Shows for New York Fashion Week yesterday. Playfully styled models with origami-adorned coifs and sparkly crystal necklaces strutted down the runway wearing an array of 100 percent cruelty-free looks, ranging from classic black pea coats to DayGlo-yellow puffer jackets.

Kicking off the GreenShows on Sunday was Gary Harvey, British designer and couture-upcycler extraordinaire. Each of Harvey's of 22 showstopping gowns was expertly constructed from repurposed goods, with a focus on iconic vintage garments and materials, including Levi's 501s, '70s floral print maxi dresses, logo tees, and the pages of the Financial Times, to name a few. Inspired by "refined elegance, drama, and proportion," Harvey makes a statement about secondhand clothing by re-contextualizing classic garments into new dramatic silhouettes.

Designer Caron Callahan may have founded Standard Finery only a scant three seasons ago, but her New York City-based label manages to tread the tightrope between femininity and practicality, polish and ease with enviable dexterity. Produced locally in the Garment District, Standard Finery trotted out a Fashion Week presentation that embodied the locavore spirit, from the clothes the models wore to the food they nibbled on.

Other fashion houses may be dumping perfectly pristine clothing, but eco fashion designer John Patrick chose an entirely different tack at the unveiling of his Fall/Winter 2010 collection at New York City's Garment District on Thursday. His choice of decor: An intricate spiderweb of 8,000 clear plastic hangers, salvaged from a dumpster, that provided the lattice-like backdrop to a bevy of classic, heritage-inspired tweed jackets, sheer blouses, and vegetable-tanned leathers. Click through our gallery to check out John Patrick's latest collection, as well as why Patrick says that throwaway fashion isn't the future.

With New York Fashion Week now officially in full swing, we've put together a cheat sheet of 11 sustainable designers who will be sending their Fall/Winter 2010 collections barreling down the green runway, come snow, sleet, or the wrath of Wintour.