May 24, 2012

The Do List: San Francisco Fashion Events May 2-8

Dress by Amelia Statler from the 2010 Academy of Art University spring fashion show.

After you’ve figured out how to thank dear mom for all she’s done, there are plenty of ways to indulge in local fashion this week. For that, we turn to the SF Indie Fashion Calendar. In the days ahead, we’ll be prepping for a fun night of wearable crafting, a Berkeley trunk show at and a much-anticipated annual student fashion showcase.

  • The week stays relatively quiet until Thursday, when you can head to the monthly installment of the etsy Craft Bar at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. During the evening event, learn how to screenprint imagery by featured artist Sister Corita onto posters, t-shirts and tote bags.
  • On Friday and Saturday, scope out wearable art during the de Young Museum’s ARTWEAR event taking place all day in the Piazzoni Murals Room. You’ll find textile art, apparel and jewelry on offer from such artists as Judith Content, Angelina DeAntonis, Carol Lee Shanks, Jenne Giles, Alice Roche, Ava Austin, Marna Clark and Reiko Miyagi.
  • The Rue Atelier Mother’s Day Trunk Show offers a reason to head east on Saturday. The Berkeley boutique will be hosting Bay Area designer Maureen Dougherty and her sustainable apparel line, as well as San Francisco jewelry designer Stephanie Arata. Sustainable wine and vegan snacks are an added draw.
  • Also on Saturday, the Academy of Art University welcomes the public to its annual Spring Fashion Show, featuring collections from graduating students. Always a polished show, the event offers an opportunity to view inventive apparel by young talents – for free. But here’s the rub: seating is first-come, first-served, and the house is usually packed. So if you want in, we’d recommend heading down to the school’s Brannan Street tent well in advance of the 2 p.m. start time.

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

New, Affordable Handcrafted Accessories at MOCFA Store

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The next time you’re looking for a gifty-gifty sumthin-sumthin (for yourself or someone else), we’d recommend a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art Store. Since new buyer Kpoene’ Kofi-Bruce came on the scene at MOFCA in February, she’s been tapping her extensive network of up-and-coming crafters, designers and artists and introducing their work to shop shelves. For many of the new additions, it’s the first time the designer’s work has been sold in a physical store (almost all are already etsy sellers), and the only permanent retail space to carry the products  in San Francisco.

“I’m really excited about the chance to work with people who haven’t sold anywhere,” Kofi-Bruce told us recently.

Along with at least 10 exclusive in-store designers on view right now, as well as plenty of non-exclusives, we hear price points are low enough to suit gift-givers suffering through today’s economy. Many items carry price tags of well under $100 – not bad for a handcrafted, one-of-kind piece of art.

Kofi-Bruce shared a few of the shop’s hot items with us. We hope you’ll swing by to see them in person. But in the meantime…

The Sunny Skies necklace (also pictured above) by Yueh-Wen Chang of Sora Designs has been a best-seller:

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Organic fragrance and beauty products from local producer Loreto Aromatica are cruelty-free and smell fabulous. And with fragrances priced at $28, they’re an affordable luxury.

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Katy Kristen Bowen’s felted flower lariats pair plushie cuteness and the sweetness of spring in a easy-to-wear, lightweight necklace:

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Stainless steel florets and white fresh water pearls collide in this adjustable ring by jewelry designer Wendy Hacker Moss:

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Keep reading for more news and fab finds from local designers….