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Fashion Blog: H&M’s “Conscious Collection”

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

H&M has long been one of my stores of choice when looking for trendy and budget-friendly, high-fashion items. The store’s past collaborations with fashion heavyweights such as Robert Cavalli, Lanvin, Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney and of course, the legendary Karl Lagerfeld, helped initially grab my attention and assisted the company in proving itself to the fashion industry to be much more than another inexpensive retailer. This summer, H&M made another smart decision in introducing their first collection made of entirely sustainable materials. Fashionable and eco-friendly? We couldn’t ask for a more perfect combination. The “Conscious Collection” from H&M is made entirely with environmentally friendly materials, such as organic cotton and recycled materials. With prices as low as $12.99, it’s an easy way to do your part to help the environment while still looking great. All the pieces are made out of a very neutral palette and light, airy fabrics, making them extremely wearable for summer. Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the “Conscious Collection”.

I absolutely love maxi dresses. They’re a great way to create a fashionable statement with minimal effort, which is what were all looking for in the summer. The detailing, choice of fabric and length of this dress make it look very elegant, but the light cream color makes it appropriate for every day.
 

This is another one of my favorite dresses from the collection. Celebrities agree – Natalie Portman was recently see on the red carpet in this dress. The dress’s style gives a nod to 1960’s mod, but the choice of color and lace make it modern. 
 

This dress is perfect for evening. The low back/low front combination of this dress goes perfectly with the extremely low necklines seen on the runways and red carpets for summer. I love the combination of materials used in this dress; the juxtaposition of the heaviness of the brocade skirt with the lightness of the top of this dress make it interesting.

 
I’m a huge fan of blazers as something easy to throw on to dress up an outfit, and this blazer is perfect for chilly summer nights. The white color looks so fresh and the lightweight fabric is perfect for summer evening temperatures. Throw this on with jeans, heels and a bright, statement necklace for any occasion.
 
Pick up any of these pieces from H&M to look fabulous this summer, while doing your part to help the environment and not breaking the bank. 

Emily Cleary is a 22-year-old news-editorial journalism major hoping to work in the fashion industry, whether that be in editorial, marketing, PR or event planning is TBD. With internships at Teen Vogue and StyleChicago.com, it's clear that she is a fashion fanatic. When she's not studying (she's the former VP of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta), writing for various publications or attending meetings for clubs like Business Careers in Entertainment Club, Society of Professional Journalists, The Business of Fashion Club, or for her role as the Assistant Editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of her school's magazine, she's doing something else; you will never find her sitting still. She loves: running (you know those crazy cross-country runners...), attending concerts and music festivals, shopping (of course), hanging out with friends, visiting her family at home, traveling (she studied abroad in London when she was able to travel all over Europe), taking pictures, tweeting, reading stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers while drinking a Starbuck's caramel light frappacino, blogs and the occasional blogging, eating anything chocolate and conjuring up her next big project. Living just 20 minutes outside of Chicago, she's excited to live there after graduation, but would love to spend some time in New York, LA, London or Paris (she speaks French)!