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We Came, We Saw, We Shopped: The Edwardian Vendor Bazaar

January 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Before the annual Edwardian Ball festivities got underway last weekend at the Regency Ballroom, we had the chance to check out the vendors on Saturday afternoon. For those of you unfamiliar with the Ball, it is inspired by the creations of Edward Gorey, whose books and illustrations many consider to be a major influence on gothic fashion. Let’s just say this was not your average vendor fair.

The decor was reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie and the costumes were amazing: some classy, some borderline shocking (the pony tail necklace, for example), but all were very unique. What’s more, this Edwardian extravaganza offered up rare shopping opportunities, albeit many of them custom creations not well-suited for the budget-minded. Whether you came to shop or stare, the vendor fair was only a teaser for the equally as fanciful night ahead.

Below, some of the people and apparel we met at the event:

Steven Raspa

Purevile

Minerava's Antennae

Sayuri Designs

Aldebaran Organic Forms

Gelareh

Bronica Blue and Mo Awobo

The Kaplen family

Chris Anderson show's off the ponytail necklace from Purevile

Miss Velvet Cream and Audette Sophia

Photography by Christophe Tomatis

Filed Under: Custom garments, Indie Fashion, Local designers, Men, Millinery and hats, San Francisco Fashion News, san francisco shopping, Vintage Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Do List: San Francisco Fashion Events Jan. 31-Feb. 6

January 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Isabelle de Borchgrave, Marie de’ Medici, 2006, inspired by a 1595 portrait by Pietro Facchetti in the collection of the Palazzo Lancellotti, Rome. Photo: Andreas von Einsiedel

January flew by, and this week lands us firmly in February 2011. How we ever got this far, we haven’t a clue. Good thing the SF Indie Fashion Calendar is always full of events to keep San Francisco fashion lovers busy with trunk sales, beauty happenings, fashion shows and places to shop from independent sources. Here’s our pick of top San Francisco fashion events this week:

  • Unlike most weeks, this one has not one, but two notable happenings on usually-quiet Monday night. As designer Joui Turandot prepares to move on to new pursuits and a new styling business, she is holding a closing party to bid adieu to her eco-friendly clothing label Vagadu. Stop by her studio for up to 50 percent off her one-of-a-kind clothing, as well as fabric freebies and some additional surprises (we hear those include celebratory singing and some bubbly).
  • Also on Monday, another eco-minded style diversion is a draw in SoMa, where local non-profit Global Action Through Fashion presents an evening on Fair Trade that includes speakers Jeff Denby of PACT Underwear, Tierra Del Forte of Del Forte Denim fame and Fair Trade USA, and Matt Reynolds and Scott Leopold of Indigenous Designs. It’s a chance to learn more about Fair Trade issues surrounding apparel production from some of the most prominent Bay Area players in the field.
  • On Thursday night, it’s your chance to get crafty with your Valentine’s Day to-do list during the monthly Craft Bar with Etsy Labs event at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, during which you’ll be able to make cards and envelopes (provided by local stationary company Hello Lucky) embellished with the help of letterpress printing courtesy of the San Francisco Center for the Book and pop-artist Sister Corita’s iconic love-themed images.
  • Saturday marks the opening of the much-anticipated Legion of Honor exhibition Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave, on view in San Francisco through June 5. The first American museum exhibit of the Belgian artist’s work, the show features de Borchgrave’s elaborate dresses constructed entirely of hand-painted paper. Included are gowns inspired by early European and Renaissance-era dress, as well as more contemporary examples that draw from famous couturiers such as Christian Dior and Coco Chanel.

You can find details on all of these events and more happening this week on the SF Indie Fashion Calendar.

Photo courtesy of Andreas von Einsiedel for the Legion of Honor

Filed Under: Benefits & Charitable Events, fashion events, Indie fashion happenings Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Snow II

January 30, 2011 By 3 Comments

On the runway at Snow, A White Fashion Event, Year 2. Dress by Joseph Domingo

Last night’s Snow was an impressive event for San Francisco fashion. In addition to the participating designers, a slew of interesting and notable folks turned out, including Christopher Collins and his co-pilot-in-fashion Erica Tanamachi, Charleston Pierce, Karen Tamblyn, Owen Geronimo, Fati Farmanfarmaian, Lorence Manansala, Marie Leggette and many others.

The show was smoothly-produced, and the space looked like it had been made for a fashion event, though it may very well have been the first runway show to happen in the space (I’d need to check my sources to confirm this, but that’s my guess).

Stay tuned for more on the show this week. We’ll be covering it extensively in photos, words and also a film (thanks to the return of the super-savvy SF Indie Fashion contributor Jessica V.) But just wanted to throw something up here today since it’s all fresh in my head.

The above pic is of a dress by Joseph Domingo. My iPhone photo obviously doesn’t do it justice, but at least you can get the feel of the space and what it was like to have everyone on the runway and surrounding it in the crowd all dressed in white.

Filed Under: Lowdown from Lorraine, San Francisco Fashion News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

San Francisco Shopping Deals Jan. 29-31

January 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Improvd sweater, $187 (reg. $312), available at Shotwell

With so many deals, I have a hard time paying full price. It’s a blessing and a curse…but ain’t that like life?

For local deals at boutiques this weekend, check out the weekly What’s the Deal column I write for 7×7.com:

What’s the Deal: Shotwell, Secession, GAMA-GO + More

Filed Under: Deals & Promos, Indie-friendly stores, Lowdown from Lorraine, Sales, San Francisco boutiques, San Francisco Fashion News, san francisco shopping

Crochet Swimsuits Spotted on Kourtney, Paris, Mischa

January 28, 2011 By 1 Comment

A press release for online swimwear and intimates fashion retailer Muscotica Wear notes that one of the store’s crochet swimsuits was worn by Kourtney Kardashian when she posed on the cover of January’s OK Magazine. The press release goes on to note that other stars like Paris Hilton and Mischa Barton have also been seen rocking items from this line of crochet swimwear. I’m not typically one to care much about celebrity news but I’m excited to see crochet becoming so popular. And if you check out the website’s line of crochet swimwear, you’ll see that it is absolutely stunning stuff that is totally worthy of celebrity attention. The “ruffle trim crochet one piece” shown above is one great example. Some things I love about this line of crochet swimwear:

  • The designs are gorgeous high-fashion designs. The cutouts in these designs appear to be really flattering on the body.
  • These crochet swimsuits are made to swim in. Many people wonder if you can actually swim in a crochet swimsuit and the answer is that if it’s made properly then you most certainly can.
  • They aren’t outrageously expensive. The one pictured above is under $100. I know it’s not super frugal but for a crocheted high fashion item that’s not a bad price.

The designs were created by Sarah Wallner who is known best as a celebrity stylist. What I love her for isn’t that but rather for the fact that she noticed a few years ago that crochet was making a comeback, before it had actually started to hit the runways like it suddenly has this season. I also love that she says that the versatility of crochet fashions is what makes them so appealing to women. So many people still think of crochet as a one-note but it’s actually a really versatile fashion form and I like that that’s being acknowledge by Wallner.

Now I just need to find a local SF designer that is creating crochet swimsuits and I’ll be a really happy girl!

This post originally appeared on CrochetConcupiscence.

Filed Under: Partner content, San Francisco Fashion News Tagged With: ,
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