Whit Honea is a slacker, a borderline degenerate, and a daydream believer. He's also our resident expert on casual chic. If it's comfortable, and not heinous, he's all over it. He's quite charming, really.

Attus Apparel, the guys that brought you these wonderful polos and current world record holder for the most popped collars worn at one time (23) have finally gone green. It was a long time coming.

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with Indian-born artist Sowmya Parigi. She creates hand-painted, eco-friendly jute handbags, wine caddies, diaper bags and more, available online at her website SVA Creations.

That's why we're pleased to bring you the 'Trash Talk' shoe from Nike. Yes, Nike. Big companies can have a heart, too.

By this point we've all heard how important it is to buy eco-friendly products, and that includes fashion. But is it all just hype? Just another marketing gimmick employed by corporate America to try and get us to spend more dollars but feel less guilty about doing it? Many companies have been accused of greenwashing, and it's certainly true that buy buy buy is not the way to help our environment.

No matter what though, people will always want to dress in a way that makes them feel good about the way they look. We shouldn't have to compromise style in our quest to save the planet. Sure, we need to adjust our habits, but that doesn't mean that we'll all end up looking like a bunch of dirty hippies. Here's our list of the top 5 ways to really green up your wardrobe.

Being fashion-forward doesn't mean you can't sport eco-friendly duds, too. Adding a few sustainably made items here and there is a great start, but what if you're ready to really do an overhaul? There are so many choices -- where do you shop? And what should you do with your old clothes?

Not to worry! You can hire your very own EcoStylist at Coco's Shoppe!

Want to save the Earth and still look good doing it? Check out Eco-Tobi's full range of styles for men & women, featuring earth-friendly clothing & accessory brands like Edun, Loomstate, Envirosax and more. Organic beauty products are also available, and all purchases are shipped in 100% recycled materials. They've also joined forces with Carbonfund.org to completely offset the emissions of their operation, so you don't have to feel too guilty about shopping here. Did we mention how much cute stuff they have? Just check out some of their offerings below:

Red Hot Ruby is a UK based store that offers ethically produced t-shirts for men and women. They encapsulate the "kitsch appeal good old British seaside with a little bit of 1950s Americana thrown in for good measure."

What's the key to sustainable style? Is it a cute new reusable shopping tote? Vegan shoes? Both? Check out our picks for eco-chic "must-haves."

For the more laid-back fashionista, our resident expert on casual-chic shows you how to look good and stay comfortable while you go eco-friendly.

Earth Day isn't happening until April 22, but in preparation for it, Banana Republic will launch its new eco-friendly line on April 5. The collection will have 50 pieces made from renewable or sustainable fabrics like bamboo and organic cotton for women and men and pieces. Pieces will range in price from $24 to $150. The store will also donate 1% of all in-store sales from April 22 to April 27 to Trust for Public Lands, a nonprofit national land conservation organization.

[via: Nylon and WWD]

I'm a big fan of all of the amazing independent designers out there. In an effort to get inside the mind of the indie designer and find out just what makes all of these creative types tick, I present to you an ongoing segment I call Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with Merle OBrien, the Aspen, Colorado-based designer behind a line of eco handbags called OlovesM, which were recently handed out to celebs attending the Sundance Film Festival. These fashionable and environmentally friendly bags feature predominantly recycled materials, including a snazzy sport/diaper bag made from repurposed yoga mats.

How did you get started as a designer? I was in yoga class and the idea for my bags just popped into my head, so I ran off my mat and started doing a ton of research, and cut and sewed a lot of prototypes until I figured it out. I am one of those people who is always thinking about ideas, and some seem to work, while others just help me learn more do's and dont's about business!!

It's Spring, which means you have to do the roommate shuffle in just a few short months when you head back home for the summer. Finding someone to sublet your place is a real pain.

Unless you're Tara Eisenberg and Inessah Selditz, who found each other looking for apartments, and ended up creating Sublet, an eco-friendly clothing line.

The Alison Dress is made of 30% organic cotton, 67% bamboo, and
3% spandex. The Alison dress has a deep V-neckline with graceful pleating throughout the front and back and a contrast twill tape at the empire waist. Obviously, I love this dress because it has pockets.

The dress comes in natural, black, and olive, and is available at Sublet's website for $242.

It must be official. Though I hadn't yet formed an opinion either way. a lot of people were saying that "eco" in fashion and style was a passing fancy. Like shoulder pads, leggings, and eelskin, eco is just another trend that would be hot for a while, but eventually die out.

Oh wait, leggings came back in a big way, and apparently, Saks is putting their money on eco. They now have a (sort of) permanent section on their online store called Green House, "the home of eco smart style." Structured just like the rest of the site, there are sections for women's apparel, accessories, beauty, and men. I'm guessing with this entire section dedicated to eco brands like Beau Soleil, Loomstate, and Organic, Saks thinks eco is worth it. Of course, we'll wait and see if they put a permanent link to it, instead of from a promo section on their front page.

Weblogs is one big bloggy family, and we're getting bigger! If you haven't already noticed the announcement at the top of the page, we've just launched two new blogs, Aisledash and GreenDaily.

We here at Styledash are pretty excited about Aisledash, partly because it's name rhymes with ours, and partly because weddings, whether you love them or hate them, are still always a great excuse to get dressed up. Of course, if you're planning on getting married, Aisledash is a great resource for all things wedding.

Sure, Styledash blogs about eco-friendly fashion, but GreenDaily is our family's first blog dedicated entirely to green living, whether it's grocery shopping, driving, and of course, our favorite, fashion.

When I hear "sweatshirt dress," right away I think of something from Juicy Couture or perhaps Hard Tail. It's a dress that's really just a very long sweatshirt hoodie that is more a piece to throw on when you have to run out on the fly for an errand, not something you'd actually wear to...dinner.

However, Beau Soleil has changed my view on sweatshirt dresses. The company is "green," and uses organic cotton in Beau Sweat, their dark gray sweatshirt dress pictured at the right. The dress features wide, three-quarter length sleeves, pockets on the front, and a sexy deep V neck.

Available for $295.

This month, home style magazine Domino has dedicated their entire issue to eco-awareness, and of course, we've zoned in on their list of environmentally-friendly clothing designers. Some of them, like Levi's Eco and Loomstate, we've mentioned here before, and others are hitting Styledash eyes for the first time. Domino has done a great job of showing how eco-friendly clothing has come a long way from burlap sacks and hemp sandals by putting together entire outfits. The lines they've included are:

• Noir
• Agricult
• Edun - Bono's clothing line
  
• Ciel
• Levi's Eco - which we've covered
  
• Loomstate - organically cool jeans
  
• Anna Cohen
• Linda Loudermilk - high design
  
• Vanessa Barrantes
• iWood Sunglsasses
• Majestic Pure