All from one California fashion designer?  Yes.  By the name of Alexandria von Bromssen.

And how did she come to create those three things?

“I decided to do everything I could to make sure I could do what I want to do.  And what I want to do is anything in the fashion business.  I’ve kind of followed my instinct when opportunities have knocked on my door.”

“Lovesick” is the name of the fashion show that Alexandria has  been organizing in San Francisco for Valentine’s Day.  For those who may be suffering from a broken heart on Valentine’s Day, “if you can’t cure the sickness, treat the symptoms”, by finding your way to this show.  This last February 14^th featured live bands and a fashion show featuring numerous San Francisco designers, including her own lingerie collection.

“Actually, I got into lingerie as a result of doing this show.  I thought it would be perfect for a broken heart sort of show on Valentine’s Day.”

Currently she sells her lingerie pieces on a custom order basis, but the following pictures show there should be more in store:

Lingerie – Alexandria von Bromssen

Lingerie – Alexandria von Bromssen

With wide ranging talent and skills, Alexandria also does fashion contract design, pattern, fabric and production work for costumes, athletic wear, special occasions, illustration, interiors and maternity and children.  Past clients include San Francisco Magazine, SFSU, Golden Gate Fitness and Bleed Magazine.

Who could not, for example, love this cupcake apron:

Cupcake apron – Alexandria von Bromssen

Running over to some other end of some other kind of spectrum, Alexandria also runs a sewing school for kids in the summer, “Camp Couture”.

“I started this sewing summer camp for kids three or four years ago because I just love working with kids and seeing their excitement and creativity.”

“We have such a great time, and it just feels like the most special thing I do.”

Looks like everyone’ is definitely expressing themselves through fashion design!

Fun at sewing camp – Alexandria von Bromssen

All of Alexandria’s websites can be found by visiting her main website, which also provides a way to contact her directly at www.vonbromssen.com

Alexandria von Bromssen (incognito)

“Sculptural headwear for Earthlings” is the tag line of uniquely inspired San Francisco hat designer, Jasmin Zorlu.  There is a subtle implication that inspiration has come from exotic and extra-terra firmas, and viewing Jasmin’s collection of hats confirms the feeling.

And without a doubt, talking with Jasmin also confirms the feeling.

“I was born in Germany, grew up in Japan and Iceland, studied art in Michigan and then design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City where I ended up working on hats for theatrical productions and other milliners.  Oh, and I love films from the 30’s and 40’s and anything Art Deco.”

How do such far flung influences strike a harmonic chord?  Like a number of interesting California designers, there is a personal and considered mixture of philosophical spirituality.

“A hat should be a transformative experience for a woman, it should evoke new and different feelings about herself.”

And not just her own feelings.

“The right hat for a woman is a magnetic force.  It is part of woman’s nature to be attractive and the right hat can become a great force for attraction.”

Any beautiful or exciting garment can help a woman be attractive, but there is something special about hats.

“Hats are the adornment we can wear that is closest to the eyes.  It is the eyes, after all, where attraction is expressed, received and exchanged.”

Let’s look for example at this very beautiful hat, framing and adorning the woman’s natural attractiveness and teasingly directing the energy of her admirers directly where it belongs.

Red Hat – Jasmin Zorlu

As important as attraction is, there is more to life for Earthlings.

“A powerful hat protects the crown chakra, the seat of consciousness.  It gives a woman strength and protection in the world.”

One of Jasmin’s signature materials is fish skin leather.  She has experimented with fish skin leathers from salmon to carp in the past, though her current favorite is perch.  These hats are made almost entirely of fishskin – no underlying base – and are handstitched.  Appropriately, these hats are called “helmets”.

Fishskin Helmet – Jasmin Zorlu

Before we start thinking that the only people worthy of attraction and protection are women, Jasmin reveals that she is doing increasing work for men’s hats. The world would be a better place if more men wore stylish hats.

“I think we have to blame JFK for putting the nail in the coffin of men’s hats.”

“There was a resurgence of fedoras in the past couple of years, but I think that men’s driving caps from the 20’s are what’s interesting for men right now.”

Men’s Driving Cap – Jasmin Zorlu

That’s pretty cool.  I will have to get myself one of those.

One of Jasmin’s best known hats is the molecular mermaid helmet.  A store owner in New York asked her to make a hat with the colors of water, resulting in this hat Jasmin created by hand-cutting and stitching circles of fur felt from the Czech Republic.

In this picture Erykah Badu, singer, record producer and actress of some recent notoriety, is wearing one of the three molecular mermaid helmets that she commissioned from Jasmin.  We can only hope it is busy protecting Erykah these days.

Erykah Badu in Molecular Mermaid Helmet – Jasmin Zorlu

Jasmin finds inspirations arriving from a number of directions: out of the blue, from dreams, from seeing things in mistaken or impressionistic ways, and by working with materials.

“I put my heart and my energy into my hats.  When a woman wears my hats she is receiving my energy.  I hope to frame a woman’s beauty and help her feel more confident.”

“I think my hats also make women more approachable.  I’ve had many women tell me that my hats are actually a good networking tool for them.”

Jasmin Zorlu was voted ‘Best Hatmaker’ by SF Weekly’s ‘Best of San Francisco 2009′ and is a 2009 ‘Hatty Award’ recipient by Hat Life, the Headwear and Millinery Industry’s #1 resource.

You can see more of Jasmin’s hats and learn where to buy them by visiting her website at www.jasminzorlu.com.

Jasmin Zorlu

“Beauty is the flower of virtue,” so exclaimed Greek historian and fashion hound, Plutarch, over 2,000 years ago.

Talking with San Francisco-based fashion designer, artist and couturiere, Colleen Quen, gave me new insight into that sentiment.

“Each piece I create has a purpose.  Often it is related to celebrating a woman’s spirit in some way,” explained Colleen.

“The piece should have a natural elegance, like a flower, and not decorate excessively.”

“As I create a new design I visualize a living soul inside the garment.  It is my responsibility to adorn it and bring out and empower her inner spirit.”

Can such lofty sentiments succeed?

One could easily form an affirmative answer by looking over the long and notable list of customers, awards and commissions Colleen has claimed since launching her own business in 1996.

But it would be more in the spirit of her work to find the answer from a purely personal perspective – from what our own inner spirit speaks, as it savors, for example:

Bird of Paradise Gown – Colleen Quen

“I was meditating on a Bird of Paradise flower in my garden.  I thought what a blessing its beauty was.  And I thought it would be wonderful if I could help a woman feel blessed by such beauty in a gown I created for her.”

Perhaps my new understanding of Plutarch’s assertion about virtue giving flower to beauty is making more sense to you now.

Colleen roots herself in the practice of tai chi, meditation and the influence of Taoism.

“I believe it is our duty in life to give good intentions and send good wishes.”

As if to prove the point, Colleen explained that in designing one of her most notable works, the Butterfly Dream Gown, she did not start with the explicit goal of creating something beautiful.

Rather, “I wanted to send a message of compassion.”

This dramatic gown is covered with over seventy hand-made butterflies shaped like flowers and ready to take flight, spreading blessings to the world.

Butterfly Dream Gown – Colleen Quen

What is fascinating about creative people is that they are often profoundly motivated by what seem to be little things that the rest of us don’t see.

When asked to describe one of the favorite things she has ever created, she referred back to the collar on a dress that she created over thirteen years ago.

“I was inspired by the movement of flower petals.  I wanted to do something both organic and sculptural.”

Black Fleur Collar Dress

“It was a creation where I was able to fully realize and express a feeling and intuition I had.”

Do creative people ever become frustrated that they can’t express such feelings and intuitions?  Is the muse sometimes lurking stubbornly in the fog, hiding behind a tree?

“Sometimes I do get frustrated that I can’t express an idea.  When that happens I want to honor the feeling.  I try to relax and accept what is happening.  I find it’s an excellent time to have some tea and a little chocolate.”

Colleen is a graduate of both the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and the Simmone Sethna School of French Couture.  She is currently doing couture work from her atelier in San Francisco as well as working on museum and performance commissions.  More of her work can be seen and she can be contacted through her extensive website at www.colleenquencouture.com.

Colleen Quen

Based in the surf-zone between L.A. and San Diego, Selawear sports an image of light-hearted Southern California beach town life mixed with artistic and green endeavors.

Started by FIDM-trained Lauren Farnham and graphic artist Sydney Hensler, Selawear stands out for its consistent and understated humor.

It’s an appealing and intelligent slyness and cleverness that winks confidently rather than shouts desperately like so many t-shirts we’ve all seen.

“We usually design our clothes based on about four different personality types that are a blend of me and Sydney”, explained Lauren.

• Flora and fauna – girly-girl, hippy, earth-mother – butterflies
• Revamp – iconic females, tributes, for example, Billie Holiday
• Suitcase – travelers, new cultures, destinations
• Undergound – edgier girl, music, rougher edges, competes with boys, but girly, trendsetting

Those are some well-evolved concepts and fertile ground for designs.

But there’s another dimension to all this thinking.

“We both started out working for a large corporate apparel company and traveled overseas to the factories.  The amount of production waste we saw was shocking.  We both realized how important it is to be eco-friendly.”

“We go to local sources where we can find donated and recycled pieces, fabrics and trims.  We sift through these and find a lot of inspiration, and it just seems right to give more life to all this material.”

Born again pom-poms anyone?

Selawear Deer Revere Hoodie

Selawear Deer Revere Hoodie Pom-pom Detail

The back of this “Deer Revere” hoodie dress has a mounted deer with a full head of antlers.  Part of what Lauren describes as their “taxidermy” phase, evidenced by the swatches of leopard print fabric trim on the pockets.

Continuing the taxidermy theme is the vaguely intimidating Mr. Belvedere sweater with buttons, and leopard elbow patches.

Selawear Mr. Belvedere Rabbit Tri-blend Sweater

“We like to bring a sense of humor and light-heartedness to our work.  I enjoy seeing people’s reactions.  It’s warm and revealing to see people smile and be happy.”

Anyone for some karaoke?  Advertise your talent and desire with a life-sized sequined microphone and gold appliqué epaulets.

Selawear Life-size Microphone Shirt Dress

“I try to create an experience for our customers.  And I want to help them express who they are.”

“I also like a little controversy.”

The very center of controversy these days are the Tea Partiers that broadcast loud and long.  You are free to interpret this oversized tank top however you choose.  In fact, if you’re like me it took you awhile to realize it wasn’t just a fun and pretty design, but that there was something interesting to interpret.  Are those beautiful sounds being played?  Or is it a broken record?

Selawear Oversize Viscose Tea Party Tank

Lauren and Sydney do some of the production themselves for Selawear and when they use additional help they make a point of using local resources, as instinctive participants in the slow wear movement.

Selawear can be found in boutiques from San Diego to Long Beach, as well as a few out of state retailers.  Customers can contact Selawear and also purchase through the company’s colorful website at www.selawear.com.

Sydney Hensler and Lauren Farnham

L.A.-based artist Timmery Turner calls her jewelry business “1981 Collection”, a sort of code for fun in an 80’s nostalgia, chicy, kitschy kind of way.

If you guessed that 1981 would give away Timmery’s age, you would get a gold star for good guessing.  But more than her age, it starts the flash bulbs popping on the particular runways of her inspiration.

“A lot of the things I’m drawn to are the things I played with as a little girl.”

“I don’t really try to plan what I’m going to create.  I just start playing with things I find.”

This necklace, for example, may tickle some memories from a long lost funny bone.

Yes, those are broken pieces from an old cassette tape, clearly playing an old feathery pink song by a zebrafish and a hello kitty daffodil.

It’s not hard to imagine a childhood fascination with soda pop and dolls, and a warm and fizzy nostalgia appears in one of Timmery’s most popular items – the bottle cap bracelets.

If all little girls had cameras in the 80’s then surely they would have taken snapshots of their dolls posing in their rooms and saved those pix for some future pop-top frames.

So this is all very cute and artsy and fun, but will it make you pretty?

Here are two photos that will answer that question.  One taking the approach of indulging in a lot of bangles and one keeping it simple.

Timmery comes at her designs from a broad background of fashion, music and the underground art scene in L.A.  A graduate of both the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in L.A. and the Los Angeles Recording School, Timmery still travels in both worlds and currently acts as founder and producer of “Sugar”, a venue designed to give emerging and underground female artists an affordable show where they can network and get exposure.

Timmery’s jewelry can be found most weekends at The Melrose in L.A. and can also be easily purchased online at her interesting and informative website, 1981 Collection.

Timmery Turner

Can contemporary fashion be “loyal to the silhouette”?

Those headline thoughts are the start of a beautiful idea.  If you talk with Los Angeles based designer Jen Awad you hear a lot of thoughts like that.

Jen has entered the California fashion scene with some exciting ideas and a first collection made of both bold colors and considerable elegance. There is a mix here of edginess and gracefulness.

Her first collection is sizable and far-reaching for the early work of a new designer.  How did she approach it?

“I wanted to keep it simple.  Black and white.  Hot pink.  Inca pop.”

Inca pop – the sort of phrase that sounds like you’ve heard it, or should have heard it.  What does that mean?

“My mother is from Peru and we go there a couple times a year.   That’s where I have my samples made.”

“When I visited the woman who makes my samples she brought out a dozen different bold colors of crinkled chiffon.  My mind was spinning on which colors I should use, and then it came to me – use them all!”

Jen Awad Inca Pop Dress
Photo credit Chiffon Magazine

If you talk with Jen for long you realize there is one thought that keeps coming up: what can she do for the woman who wears her clothes?

“Most women need to feel safe about choosing colors.  I want to give them confidence about experimenting with colors.”

And here’s a question worth pursuing, “how do I give an hourglass figure to a woman who doesn’t have one?”

“In the 40’s models had hips and boobs and this was the image that women sought.  Today most women have hips and boobs, but the models don’t.  Women don’t see how the clothes will be flattering on their figure.”

Indeed, those kinds of feelings lie behind what Jen said was personally the most exciting part of her last collection.

“I wanted to use crystals like on a chandelier.  A beautiful chandelier is the first thing you see in a room.  Everyone stops and notices.  Women want to feel that way.  A fantastic chandelier is also a little decadent.”

These ideas lead to two inspired dresses in her last collection.  To make these dresses Jen and her people sewed and hooked individual crystals onto each dress to create a vision any woman would love to illuminate.

Jen Awad Crystal Minidress Dress

Jen Awad Crystal Halter Dress

Another aspect motivating Jen is her involvement with music, and her band.  Indeed, at a recent fashion show of her collection she played the music with her band, including singing the vocals. From a designer perspective, Jen is charged and inspired by her experience on stage. “When I’m on stage I want to look great.  I want to dazzle.  It’s a show, people want something inspiring. I want to help performers look brilliant on stage.”

What’s next for this recent grad of FIDM in L.A.? Here are some words that describe her vision for her next collection: crumpled gold vinyl, rough pearls, risky, Valley woman, streetwear chic, reds, forest greens, creams.  Can that be woven together with the finals words she tosses out: post-apocalyptic  1940’s?

Jen’s collection can be viewed and she can be reached through her website at www.jenawad.com

Why go to Paris for advice on California fashion?

It might seem a little odd to go to Paris to get advice about California and American design concepts, but that could be exactly what you would do if you’re not in California or America. It is in Paris that Scott Carr has set up shop to advise European and Asian fashion companies on how to design and market for the U.S.

After growing up in California, Scott graduated from FIDM in Los Angeles and went on to lead a young San Francisco brand for several years, Kilner Studio. But it was a nearly decade long engagement with Lands End as the senior designer for women’s knits and active wear that enabled him to view his California roots through the eyes of major designers and producers around the world.

And what does California fashion look like in the eyes of the rest of the world? This was a key question in my mind and I was looking to Scott for answers.

When first meeting Scott, “laid back” is the phrase that might come to mind. The vibe is West Coast relaxed, not East Coast buzz. Get him started talking about fashion, design, art, culture and so on, however, and you find a restless, discerning mind, brimming with observations and reflections.

“The flea markets in Paris inspire a surprising number of trends – any designer who goes there will see what I mean.”

“Some people are rediscovering simple and authentic brands – craftsmen, utilitarian, naïve brands with a connection to the person making the clothing. The Nice Collective is such a San Francisco brand.”

“It’s fabric developments, especially for active wear, that are some of the most interesting things in fashion today. Companies in Japan and Italy are creating really cool fabrics. I recently saw a product from a Japanese company that was ground silk applied to wool to create a unique hand feel.”

“There’s a slow wear movement getting started in Europe, not unlike the slow food movement. Ethical, sustainable sourcing by small, authentic companies that are pooling together.”

Given these kind of far-reaching thoughts, what’s in Scott’s most recent collections? And what are the influences and how do his California roots figure into it?

For Spring and Fall collections this year Scott combines city and country – sophistication and active lifestyle. Bohemian days in Paris, café society, arts community, Paris nights. And bringing in his California and active background – seaside, skiing, climbing, equestrian. Overall, modern, eclectic, giving depth through traditional elements.

Sophisticated City – Chic Resort – Casually Elegant – Timeless Beauty – Eclectic Outfitting

Scott Carr Spring/Summer 2010 Paris Corsica

For city days, neutral and golden ochre vignettes. For city nights, black and white palette cleansers. For active wear, fresh, blue, white, aqua, sea blue, some navy, khaki and yellow using performance fabrications.

Artisan Fabrics – Exceptional Finishing – Layered Neutral Tones

Fresh Color Accent – Sporty Versatility

Scott Carr Spring/Summer 2010 Paris Corsica

“Inspiration guided by end use” is a phrase that Scott keeps going back to. And that is where we reconnect to California.

The California lifestyle, partly real, partly imagined, and partly about imagining, embraces youth, energy, outdoors, activity. Surf, water, mountains, environment, fresh air, sunshine. Casual, easy, sporty, effortless. Sexy, sensual, skin. A crazy line from Esprit in the 80’s to Juicy Couture today – but a line drawn in the California sand.

“There are a lot of cool ideas in Europe but they are sometimes too fussy. They need some California influence to make them work in the U.S. and the rest of the world.”

Scott’s advice for the non-recovering fashoholic? “Look beyond the traditional magazines and sources; look for things that appeal to your inner self. Look at Michelle Obama – she does a great job of eclectic mixing from pop fashion to high end designers. Always have some iconic, classic pieces in your wardrobe – they center and ground you. And hey, support California designers!”

Scott Carr