SHOES: My Favorite Heels Right Now.  Video of my ethical shoe closet to come soon! All these are available at missqa.com, the brands are Beyond Skin, Cri de Coeur and Olsen haus. I practically live in the nude ankle boots and the leopard pumps. 

SHOES: My Favorite Heels Right Now. 
Video of my ethical shoe closet to come soon! All these are available at missqa.com, the brands are Beyond Skin, Cri de Coeur and Olsen haus. I practically live in the nude ankle boots and the leopard pumps. 

STYLE: Just Married!

I said “I do” to my love on January 14th in sunny, snow-white Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This gorgeous gown was custom made by Minna Hepburn who has a heavenly bridal collection of shorter, vintage inspired dresses. The Scottish lace dress was lined with peace silk and the buttons in the back were vintage: all different! The dress felt perfect for our intimate ceremony at the groom’s parents’ Berkshires country house and reception at the nearby Cranwell Country Club. I’ll be wearing a bridal mini by Minna to our local, New York reception party in early February. Much love and stay tuned for more fashion and bridal updates as I get all of our wedding photos. And, if you haven’t already, subscribe to my YouTube channel here. Besides frequent style videos, I’m launching a bridal series soon! 

FASHION: Happy New Year Gorgeous! What’s your resolution? I have many, one of which is “I’ll never again have nothing to wear!” My plan is to invest in chic, versatile outfits that take me from day to night, and casual to fancy. These are my favorites from MISSQA.

FASHION: Happy New Year Gorgeous!
What’s your resolution? I have many, one of which is “I’ll never again have nothing to wear!” My plan is to invest in chic, versatile outfits that take me from day to night, and casual to fancy. These are my favorites from MISSQA.

STYLE: How to Style a Bold Winter Coat

 To brighten my days this my winter, I chose a bright red coat instead of the typical black or beige. If you invest in such a bold colored essential, can you style it from casual to fancy, from morning to night? See the video for options and a peek of the new DUMBO, Brooklyn carousel.  

STYLE: Bright Colored Winter Coats I adore this trend, spotted in Vogue and on stylish celebrities like Kate Middleton, Taylor Swift and Stella McCartney. Perfect for brightening up short, dark days and spicing up the winter wardrobe. If you are uncertain how to style such a bold piece, see the video on “Winter Coat Trends: How to Style a Bright Colored Coat” and my options for eco- and animal-friendly pieces. (Video is uploading!)

STYLE: Bright Colored Winter Coats

I adore this trend, spotted in Vogue and on stylish celebrities like Kate Middleton, Taylor Swift and Stella McCartney. Perfect for brightening up short, dark days and spicing up the winter wardrobe. If you are uncertain how to style such a bold piece, see the video on “Winter Coat Trends: How to Style a Bright Colored Coat” and my options for eco- and animal-friendly pieces. (Video is uploading!)

How to cut & wear bangs.

SHOES: Bridal Heels

Trying to decide on the perfect shoe for my winter wedding, I have been researching wedding shoe trends. White seems no longer the go-to, especially in 2012, and blues, purples and creams are popping up in every bridal magazines. Brides, like me, want to wear something they can slip on also after the wedding, which is much more sensible and ethical than wearing your shoes only once. These are the heels I’m considering (yes, even the all-white pumps). They all would work perfectly with winter whites at a cocktail party, and with gorgeous vintage dresses in the summer. The nude patent pump is by Stella McCartney, others by Beyond Skin.  

ETHICALBELLA FASHION: The Ethical Bride  I have been waiting you tell you the big news until I could share some love-filled fashion inspiration with you. I’m engaged!  I can’t wait for my intimate January winter wedding in Massachusetts. (We might have another one in Europe in the summer so both of our families can make it as my family is in Finland). These are some of the most gorgeous ethical pieces I have found, most of which I have already ordered for my wedding day.  Minna Hepburn Dress, £220,  Ivanka Trump Ethical Bridal Jewelry,  Stella mccartney corset, $340, Stella McCartney lace panty, $36,  Beyond Skin bridal shoes, £184 xxx PS. This is my very first Polyvore set, so if you are there too, let me know and let’s follow each other. 
ETHICALBELLA FASHION: The Ethical Bride 

I have been waiting you tell you the big news until I could share some love-filled fashion inspiration with you. I’m engaged! 

I can’t wait for my intimate January winter wedding in Massachusetts. (We might have another one in Europe in the summer so both of our families can make it as my family is in Finland).

These are some of the most gorgeous ethical pieces I have found, most of which I have already ordered for my wedding day. 

Minna Hepburn Dress, £220,  Ivanka Trump Ethical Bridal Jewelry, 

xxx

PS. This is my very first Polyvore set, so if you are there too, let me know and let’s follow each other. 

ETHICALBELLA HANDBAGS: Luxe Arm Candy

Can I request these as stocking stuffers or am I dreaming? This is definitely on the list.

Stella McCartney Shaggy Deer Fold-Over Tote ($995); Cornelia Guest Willow Messanger Clutch ($145); Matt & Nat Clint (149e).   

ETHICALBELLA FASHION: IVANAhelsinki Bamboo Dresses

The designer behind IVANAhelsinki, Paola Suhonen, could be described as a mystical blonde visionary. She is not just the most notable fashion designer to come out of Finland (where I’m originally from); she is also a filmmaker who tells beautiful stories. I recently collaborated with her for MISSQA, creating eco-friendly versions of her best-selling dresses for MISSQA. We recreated them out of bamboo, which is oh-so-soft and doesn’t wrinkle: perfect piece for a busy woman, who needs to look amazing 24-7.

My sister Viola filmed a fun video modeling them for our MISSQA YouTube channel, see it below:

ETHICALBELLA FASHION: Stylish Shopping Haul

As promised, here is the fashion haul video of my Black Friday shopping trip. Please enjoy! I’d love to hear what your favorite item was and if you think I did well. This video also shows how easy it is to shop ethically without sacrificing your style, even at the mall. Below, you can see the items I bought in pictures. 

ETHICALBELLA JEWELRY: TIRANA - Black Friday Sale!

Have you enjoyed Black Friday shopping? This year was my first (I tend to look for ethical pieces online) as my love’s family has a tradition of going to the outdoor mall by their weekend home each year at 6am. I joined and discovered several cruelty-free pieces on sale to keep me warm this winter. Excited about my discoveries, I’ll be filming my first eco-chic haul video of my finds today; keep a look out for it next week!

In the meanwhile, I want to share a sale of my own with you. As you might know, I recently founded an Ethical Luxury Online Boutique MISSQA with my sister and as we are taking baby steps with the business, we are only sharing our absolute favorite brands. 

One of them is TIRANA Jewelry. As there’s nothing better than treating yourself to a gem, I wanted to extend a -20% discount to you (from now till 12/30).

Jewelry has the magical power of enhancing any outfit we wear and making it memorable. Each TIRANA piece is dark and romantic, handmade of antique and recycled metals. They are edgy yet elegantly simple and made for a sexy, confident woman who loves buying jewelry for herself.  

Before making her mark as a jewelry designer, Graciela Fuentes rocked it as a DJ under the name “Tirana Del Amore” which means “Tyrant of Love,” playing dramatically romantic Mexican tunes. This makes me want to wear all her gems and go dancing with her!

See the photos to get a taste for her gems and select your statement piece here by adding the discount code “mygem” for euros and “mygemUK” for Pounds.

Have a beautiful weekend. 

ETHICALBELLA FASHION: Autumn Knits

As the weather keeps getting chillier, it’s the time to bring out multi-use knits! Dressed in new organic cotton cardigans by Prancing Leopard Organics, I enjoyed a brisk autumn afternoon in Central Park on Sunday. I even came across an adorable kitten that bravely walked on a leash!

The Imago Knit Wrap in wine red ($143) and Cocoon Knit Shrug in iron stone ($161) are both certified organic Turkish cotton, handmade by women artisans in under-served communities with portion of proceeds going to the Snow Leopard Trust, to help save this stunning, rare feline from extinction (there are only a few thousand left in the world).

I’m also wearing:  Stella McCartney boots, Prairie Underground skinny jeans and a Melie Bianco leopard-print bag. 

Hope you enjoy the photos! Click on any photo to start the slideshow.  

ETHICALBELLA SHOES: Valentino after-ski boots

Valentino & vegan? It’s true! Spotted in November Elle, I’m currently obsessed with these chic gold-studded nylon boots perfect for after-ski, country retreats and weekends in Brooklyn, when it snows. At Valentino, $645. They also come in black. 


ETHICALBELLA LIFESTYLE: Mexico photos