The list of vendors that Berg and her team deemed sustainable-but-high-style included Greg Christian (the self-proclaimed "conscious caterer"), who prepared snacks like organic pizza with with locally grown cremini mushrooms and vidalia onions and served them on bamboo trays.

Event Creative's Jeffrey Foster used recycled props (like the water-bottle chandelier) for decor. "I didn't use anything that can die," he said, citing his flowers for the evening as an example: Instead of cut flowers, he employed fallen branches, potted trees, and lighting effects that cast leaflike shadows on the walls. Wooden highboys set up throughout the venue were left linen-less—"to avoid laundering," Berg explained.

For his part, fashion-show producer Graham Kostic (a fashion associate at the magazine) targeted local designers known for clothing made of sustainable materials.

To sidestep any not-so-green branding, CS gobos replaced printed signage and cover blowups. Logo-adorned curtains made of salvaged fabrics formed the fashion show's backdrop, and gift bags were reusable canvas totes branded with the phrase "I'm a CS Bag"—a play on fashion designer Anya Hindmarch's "not a plastic bag" slogan.   —Jenny Berg