Seasonless Green Fashion

Hail in September? Hot spells and sunburns in October? Icy autumn mornings with short-sleeve afternoons? What's a green shopper to do this fall?

For starters, you can toss those seasonal do's and don'ts out of your mind and closet. In this epoch of global warming, fall fashion rules are also undergoing climate change: It's OK to wear knee-high faux fur boots with a light cotton skirt and wool sweater. Wear white after Labor Day. Pair open-toed shoes with corduroy pants and a wool scarf tossed over a sleeveless silky top. This autumn, prepare for erratic weather by taking a middle ground, putting warmer wraps over something skimpy, Robert Sullivan advised in the March Vogue. And, wondering what President Bush might wear next season, Sullivan posited that it may come "to the point where we are all hoping to have any clothes on at all by the time he's out of office."

Other style cognoscenti are finding that, as the climate begins to change more quickly than fashion, the sensible new trend is to let temperature, not season, dictate what to wear. "Fall in Southern California can be hotter than summer," says Lindsay Steenblock, an interior designer. "On those chilly L.A. mornings when I'm wearing a suit and nylons, by noon, when the sun hits the mirror-glass buildings, I'm panting like a race horse!" Steinblock often finds herself wearing sandals with a coat slung over cotton skirts and T-shirts in October, and sees "other people doing the same thing."

The timing also couldn't be more ripe for eco wear. As editor Roberta Myers notes in Elle's trend-setting May green issue, "Young designers offer style with a conscience, including alternative materials such as organically grown cotton and bamboo, and supporting sustainable labor practices." National sales of organic cotton--versatile, affordable and breathable—soared from $86 million in 2001 to $275 million in 2005, and double that figure for global sales, reports Organic Exchange, a non-profit organization.