When one thinks of hemp, for some reason often the first thoughts that come to mind are of marijuana. Nothing could be further from the truth. (No, you can't smoke hemp fabric and get high.) Instead, hemp clothing provides a durable natural fiber that can make comfortable clothing that is also eco-friendly. This is why hemp has such a prominent place in the green movement in clothing.

Characteristics of hemp clothing:

Strong. A tensile strength that is three times that of cotton.

Lightweight. Hemp clothing is very light. It is also absorbent.

Versatile. There are many uses for hemp material. It can be easily blended with other natural fibers, including silk.

Weather resistant. Hemp clothing is durable and tough. It resists mold and it blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Better for the environment. Hemp farming requires little water, and hemp is resistance to pests, so pesticides are not needed. Additionally, hemp grows very well, so fertilizers are not usually used. Hemp is very renewable.

Cost-effective. Because of its ease of growth, hemp is easy (and less expensive) to grow.
It is important to note that in some countries (notably China) the production of hemp clothing does include harmful chemical processes. However, there are other manufacturers that use enzymes with a biological basis in order to maintain the earth-friendly hemp clothing process.

Hemp clothing can be rougher than cotton, which is why it is often blended with cotton for shirts. However, hemp is used a great deal in the manufacture of sandals and shoes.
Hemp clothing is mostly available online, although some offline retailers are starting to sell hemp as part of the green movement in clothing. Local clothing boutiques and Fair Trade shops also usually carry hemp clothing.

Here are some online places where you can find hemp clothing:

Hemp Sisters.com, Spirit Stream Trading.com, Faerie's Dance.com, Peopleshemp.com

Fall is just around the corner and soon Mother Nature will start responding to its call. Leaves will fall. Lawns will look colorful. Temperatures will drop. And people, well, we'll start changing too, but not necessarily in a nice way. For some reason, cool weather convinces some people to forget all about their fashion sense and start doing a few wacky things.

You won't notice it at first. The change will be gradual. It'll happen a little bit at a time. However, the end result will be large groups of people breaking fashion rules because they refuse to accept that the season is changing and they need to let go of summer. Of course, I understand. I love summer too. But when something you love leaves or takes a sabbatical, you've got to let it go. So the following are a few fashion no-no's that you shouldn't do at all in the fall or at least stop by October 1st.

Fall Fashion No-Nos

• Mini Skirts and Bare Legs
• Sandals and Socks
• Tank Tops and Sweater Wraps
• Shorts and Bare Legs
• Sweats and Blouses/Shirts

These things are the common fashion blunders that people do in fall because they refuse to accept that summer is over. However, these ideas are just partly right. There are ways to fix a few of these things with just a change of piece of attire. Here's some help.

Fall Fashion Fixes

• Mini Skirts, Tights and High Boots
• Penny Loafers or Boots and Socks
• Turtlenecks, Long Sleeved Tops and Sweater Wraps
• Shorts, Tights and High Boots
• Tweed Pants, Tweed Skirts and Blouses/Shirts

As you can see, by switching a few things around, you can turn your fall fashion no-no into a yes. It's just a matter of buying a few additional items and putting a few others back into the closet. Do these things and you won't be walking around this fall wondering why people are giving you weird looks. You'll be fashionable, warm and appropriately dressed for cool weather.