This summer, some of our favorite pieces have one thing in common: plastics! Why go for clothing and accessories with plastics? They're affordable, help protect you against the summer sun's harsh rays, are eco-friendly and add flexibility, comfort (and not to mention, style!) to your wardrobe.
Plastics Make It Possible® "highlights the many ways plastics inspire innovations that improve our lives, solve big problems and help us design a safer, more promising future." The campaign has put together a list of must-have summer pieces:
- Neon colored Two Piece Bikini: Lycra and nylon and two materials most commonly used to make bikinis and bathing suits and they are in fact, plastic! The plastic fabric dries quicker, is fade resistant in the sun, and is more lightweight than other textile options making it ideal for water. Pick up a neon-colored lyrca swimsuit, a big color trend this season!
- Oversized Sunglasses and Cat Eye Sunglasses: These shades will give you a cool look all season long! Their plastic frames and lenses make them lightweight, shatter resistant, and affordable. Grab a pair and protect your eyes from the summer’s rays.
- Jelly Sandals: Colorful plastic jelly sandals add flare and style to any summer ensemble, while still providing comfort and support. Plastic jellies come in a vast array of colors and styles, and are lightweight, durable, and waterproof so you can enjoy them at practically any summer adventure.
The Style Evolution of Plastics
Plastics have shaped the evolution of fashion throughout the years - we tend to equate even certain decades with specific styles ('80s leggings and neon, anyone?), and plastics play a major role in how our styles change. It started in the 1930s, with plastics being used to mimic more expensive fabric (such as a rayon substitute for silk) and with glitzy embellishments on evening dresses. The '40s and '50s saw full skirts, pantyhose and hair combs while in the '70s and '80s, athletic wear, spandex leggings and leisure suits (not to mention scrunchies and tube socks!) were all the rage. Plastics played an integral part in the evolving of the materials that shaped these trends. Without them, we woudn't have our favorite fleece zip-up jackets, feather hair extensions and colored jeggings!
Modern Sustainable Fashion
Some other modern pieces plastics are used in? Bandage dresses and skirts in bright pops of color are big this season - they often contain lyrcra to give them a sexy stretch. Flowy maxi dresses contain sheer, light fabrics made, in part, of plastics. Hair ties help keep you cool on hot summer days, and many wedge heels are made of plastic. The sequins on your favorite dress and the chandelier earrings you love so much? You guessed it - plastic!
Sustainable swimwear is a huge hit with designers for many reasons - they add durability and last, so your swimsuit is good as new wear after wear. Designers like Eco Swim and Odina Surf make sure to recycle plastics in the making of their swimwear. How? Instead of going straight to landfills, plastic bottles are refined and blended into swimsuit threading, clasps and embellishments.
It's clear that as fashion changes, plastic is one thing that remains and will continue to help designers create new styles and trends as the years go by. Scroll through the slideshow to view many clothing items and accessories made of plastics - many of them showcased during New York Fashion Week 2012 and Blogger's Night Out, hosted by Plastics Make It Possible! Which is your favorite? Which of the items from the Look Book would you rock this summer?
Click here to read more about the Plastics Make It Possible campaign.
Are you a PR or brand rep? Know of fashion news, a product you'd like reviewed or a person that should be featured on Cleveland Women's Fashion Examiner? Own a boutique that needs exposure? Have fashion or style event updates? Contact the author.
Comments