May 24, 2012

The Do List: San Francisco Fashion Events April 25-May 1

San Francisco fashion fans, look out. This week the SF Indie Fashion Calendar is p-p-packed with worthy fashion and style events, including one of the year’s most popular charitable fashion happenings, a longstanding and well-attended Hayes Valley shopping festival and a shopping-driven launch extravaganza for a major fashion web site’s Bay Area arrival.

  • On Tuesday, the week starts off with the launch party for already-much-talked-about local label Pladra, whose plaid shirts for men and women feature contrasting cuffs printed with outdoorsy scenes that’ll make you want to hop a ride to Tahoe. And pronto.
  • Once Thursday rolls around, there’s a little something for everyone. Discarded to Divine is sure to draw many a local fashion fan to St. Mary’s Cathedral for its annual display of garments, accessories and items for the home made by local artists and designers using cast-off textiles and materials. Proceeds from the event and its accompanying silent and live auction benefit the St. Vincent de Paul San Francisco Society’s many programs for people in need.
  • Also on Thursday, two other style-minded events compete for locals’ love. You can get your shop on in honor of Refinery29′s recent San Francisco launch during a Shop Crawl event to lots of notable San Francisco boutiques, including Anica, BellJar and Grave & Gold. A private party for local fashion folks follows. Who knows, maybe we’ll see you there. And if viewing fashion from a handful of up-and-coming local designers is more your speed, you’ll want to head to 111 Minna for Constituent Parts, a show featuring the latest from designers Autie Carlisle, Justin Jamison, Rachel Poulos and Cameron Stewart.
  • Come Sunday, the ever-popular Capsule Design Festival takes over Hayes Valley with 130 independent designers and artists showing off all manner of apparel and accessories for men, women and children, as well as home decor. Free and family-friendly, the event is an excellent excuse to spend a few hours meandering up and down Hayes and Octavia Streets in search of special finds.

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

Runway Recap: Fashion For a Cause at 111 Minna Gallery

On Thursday in SoMa, Tracy Bryan and the National MS Society hosted Fashion For A Cause at 111 Minna to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis. Proceeds from the event benefited MS education and services. Local designers flaunted their lines in a high energy fashion show, and local retailers such as Heliotrope presented their latest products in a vibrant atmosphere. Patrons, models, retailers and designers filled the venue in anticipation of the looks that would make their way down the catwalk. Here are a few choice picks from the show:

PACE Clothing was the first designer to send their looks down the runway:

WORKSF sent casual, cool looks down the runway that definitely turned heads:

Elegant silk dresses added to the line-up brought an air of sophistication to the evening:

Other designers featured at the event included Mary Meg Rossi, Amarantine, Invisible Heroes, Rock Chiq, Masha Archer, Melissa Bolin, Stephanie Edwards Designs, Lisa Lebow Jewelry and Zansus Purses.

After the show, a few lucky winners received raffle prizes that entitled them to enjoyable treats from retailers across the City, and the crowd was serenaded with a couple more songs to boogie down to before we called it a night.

Photography courtesy of Ed Jay

Ladylike + Adapt Hoodie Release

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You can be ladylike and still get your kicks. Here’s how: tonight at 111 Minna, the lovely women of Ladylike (sister co. to Fatlace) are throwing a soiree that’s one part networking event for independent Bay Area retailers, designers, fashion bloggers, industry insiders and like-minded folks, one part release party for the label’s new hoodie collaboration project with Oakland-based Adapt Clothing and one part sheer excuse to party.

We hear the ladies of Made Jewelry will be in the house with goodies, while the folks from online independent retail shop Moxsie tell us they’re heading there en masse.

To get in on the action, swing by 111 Minna tonight. Hoodie release unleashed at 9pm.

More upcoming fashion happenings

Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sale

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Shoe In: Accessories in Action Black Friday Benefit

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How many pairs of unused shoes do you have kicking it in your closet? According to the fine folks behind this Friday’s Accessories in Action event at 111 Minna, Americans have some 1.5 billion unwanted pairs gathering dust in their homes.

A better place for them? With Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that recycled secondhand shoes by giving them to people in need.

Bring a pair with you to this 21+ shopping fundraiser as you make the retail rounds on Black Friday, and you’ll get in the door for less ($5 instead of $8). Perhaps even more spectacular, we hear nothing at the event costs more than $100. On offer will be accessories from jewelry and bags to hats and belts, all by local independent designers.

More upcoming fashion events