Pinstripes and Sheer Wool

I visited Gabrielle in Palos Verdes, where she runs the Artists' Studio Galleries at the Palos Verdes Art Center. The Artists' Studio sells the work of artists, artisans and craftspeople who live and work on the Palos Verdes Penninsula. Gabrielle has an especial passion for dramatic art-to-wear pieces that she features at the gallery and in the Wearable Expressions shows she organizes so I was surprised that she was attracted to this very subdued scarf. It's made of a very soft charcoal pinstriped wool suiting fabric backed with the sheer, gauzy wool I've been using a lot of lately. But it doesn't take bright colors or fancy trims to create drama. It's all about the way you wear it and the personality that you express. And Gabrielle has a lot of personality, so this dark and subdued scarf is just enough.

Almost a Shawl

Another amazing hand block printed fabric by the late Douglas Ram Samuj, made into almost a shawl. This fabric was made in the sixties or seventies when Ram Samuj had a boutique here in LA where he sold his unique fabrics. I had enough of this fabric to make a couple of these shawl scarves as well as a few narrower neck wraps, all backed in a very lightweight blue wool.

Green and Gray are the colors of 2011?

Wow, I just heard on NPR that green and gray are THE colors for 2011. It's a good thing I had enough of this vintage silk to make a bunch of scarves. I posted an earlier version here. Now we have handsome Henri putting a sporty spin on the same scarf. Henri has good taste, as you can see at his culture blog.

The Shield, Revisited

Remember the scarf I modeled called The Shield? I found some vintage wool in the same shade of yellow as the little shields scattered across the midnight blue silk I used for that scarf. So now we have Tamara wearing The Shield with a yellow wool backing, instead of black. Tamara cuts hair at Clark Nova Salon, where I took this picture. Check out her hair artistry here.