DeviDoll congratulates Stewart+Brown!

This month's US Vogue features A WHOLE PAGE on Stewart+Brown. FINALLY......

....not, that is, FINALLY Vogue says something about ethical fashion -- this it has done before (to varying degrees, more edgily in the UK publication than in the US; but no surprise there, etc etc).

Rather, my point is, FINALLY Vogue (and that too the US version -- sorry am I belabouring a point here?) has, so prominently, stepped away from moulding it's eco-fashion talk around usual usual (yawn) labels like Stella McCartney and, instead, picked a label that is from the 'little-known-outside-ethical-fashion-world' (think, for example, Estethica at LFW).

That it is Stewart+Brown comes as no surprise given the unselfconsciously chic collection this label brings us, the luxurious fabrics it uses (and in some cases, such as its socially responsible Mongolian cashmere, helped pioneer) and the founders' (Howard Brown and Karen Stewart) enduring commitment to professional business standards combined with transparency and excellence in the area of green/ethical/eco - fashion.

As the first UK boutique to stock Stewart+Brown's cashmere in 2007, DeviDoll always knew glory was just a matter of time.....to see it so soon is gratifying indeed.

SHALOM HARLOWE IN AOKI AND DEVIDOLL ON MONGOLIA

Canadian born model Shalom likes her fashion green. And we like that. We also like the idea of Bokashi composting (perfect for city-living) that she drew our attention to.

She's wearing AOKI's Traci jean here and though you can't see the 2 mini front-pockets and high waist you can see the rich denim colour and fantastic flare.

Also on her favourites list is mongolian cashmere by Stewart & Brown. Mongolian cashmere is an interesting export from an otherwise sort of forgotten country (I mean apart from Genghis Khan, what comes to mind??). The extremely fine quality of cashmere is produced by nomadic herdsmen for whom this is a traditional way of life and only real skill set. Mongolia's move from a socialist to a capitalist economy and related attempts to integrate with the globalized cashmere market have created problems for these nomadic producers. Chief among these is the destabilizing effects from moving cashmere processing outside of Mongolia. Add to this historic poverty and natural desertification and you get a pretty bleak picture. Read about this whole issue in more detail here.

Stewart&Brown know their mongolian herding suppliers and keep all aspects of production in Mongolia so as to ensure the herdspeople are part of a sustainability cycle. As far as DeviDoll is concerned this makes their cashmere truly cozy, warming and alluring.

WON'T YOU TAKE ME TO CHUNKY TOWN

How cold has it suddenly got? No way to start the week, I can tell you. Coupled with the darkening afternoons it is SO wrong. Okay, (deep breath)....maybe I should save the angst for January.

Right, glass half full perspective: its perfect weather for snuggly, chunky knits. And to further raise the level in the glass, thick, big yarn knits are all the rage at the moment: Vogue.com tells us to "Wrap up in giant stitches, waffle patterns and outsized scarves and ski jumpers: these extravagant knits are winter's way forward...".

At DeviDoll we are SO on the ball. If you want classic wool then look at Aymara's cashlama cable knit swing sweater , front tie cardi or huge, cozy knit scarves. Want a be a bit more adventurous, then check out Lara Miller's bamboo handloomed knits.

All fabulously chunky and very hip. An uplifting combo indeed.