It’s likely that most San Franciscans have never experienced a fashion show where an intermission was required to mop fake blood off the runway.
But at the “Supreme Beings” avant-garde fashion event on March 1 at the SOMArts Cultural Center, that’s exactly what happened. An evening of bizarre spectacle merged with conceptual fashion, attracting about 200 curious guests.

A fundraiser for the nonprofit organization Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, the highly unusual and entertaining evening incorporated contemporary Japanese butoh dance and the debut of two collections by emerging San Francisco designers Ilanio and Iimuahii.

The night opened with a haunting dance performance by Ronnie Baker and Luku-san, who were dressed only in loincloths and covered with white body paint, a tradition of the contemporary improvisational art form.

Butoh dance performance at Supreme Beings. All photos by Nerissa Pacio Itchon.

Accompanied by otherworldly electronic music by local duo spacEKrafT, the dance continued between runway presentations with a second disturbingly grotesque installment in which dancers executed seizure-like movements and tortured facial expressions, and squirted red fluid from their mouths and body parts.

“Butoh is a bit of an acquired taste,” said 43-year-old Ilan Reuben, the Bernal Heights artist behind the high-concept line Ilaniowear. “It was kind of revelatory the first time I saw it. I always told myself if I ever get to create my own events, I want to incorporate that incredible energy.”

Fencing-inspired sportswear separates by Elena Slivnyak, an Academy of Art graduate.

The energy was apparent in the crowd when 28-year-old Elena Slivnyak, creative director of Iimuahii, sent her inventive neoprene activewear pieces down the runway. The Academy of Art graduate’s architectural black and neutral collection was inspired by the body-conscious fencing uniforms she spotted while watching “SportsCenter.”

“Everything was so monochromatic with texture,” said Slivnyak, a Daly City resident. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s so gorgeous!’ “

Each intricately crafted piece blurred the line between masculine and feminine silhouettes, such as a boxy, broad-shouldered minidress in black with skin-baring cutouts at the hips and a flesh-toned vest studded with panels of metallic screws atop a stretch, mesh-paneled pencil skirt.

Elena Slivnyak, creative director of Iimuahii, sent her inventive neoprene activewear pieces down the runway.

“If I create a heavier silhouette, I usually like to put a lighter material into the piece to soften and make things more feminine,” Slivnyak said of her construction.

Reuben, a self-proclaimed “San Francisco Art Institute dropout,” closed the evening with a highly conceptual presentation that bordered on fashion theater.

Inspired by Parisian wig designer Charlie Le Mindu, Reuben’s wearable art pieces included a spiky white triangular rubber dress paired with a giant eyeball encapsulating the model’s head; a medusa-like “Whipping Willow” headpiece worn with a black polyurethane swimsuit; and a giant breastplate necklace made from aluminum surgical tubing.

Fetishistic themes also surfaced throughout the show, with one model sporting a bulbous, one-shoulder dress that exposed one breast. Another nude model’s face was hidden by a giant furry headpiece, and she flapped like a bird down the runway with feathery coverings as sleeves.

“I find the fetish culture really kind of humorous,” said Reuben, who has shown his work in nonconventional fashion show venues such as a church and a greenhouse. “If you look on fetish websites, you see people wearing crazy balloon heads and you wonder ‘How is that sexy?’ There’s an interesting counterpoint halfway between comical and sexy, and fetish fashion is right there.”

This article by Nerissa Pacio Itchon appeared on page L – 11 of the San Francisco Chronicle on March 18, 2012.

All photos by Nerissa Itchon.

The invitation-only event, held in the second level women’s shoe salon, gave bloggers and select shoppers the chance to preview 20 unique styles inspired by 20 years of iconic shoe designs, which run the gamut from the pointy-toe bejeweled “Pigalove” flats to the soaring six-inch fringed “Highness Tina” boots designed in homage to diva muse Tina Turner.

Christian Louboutin's velour "Highness Tina" boots ($2,295), a collector's item from the 20th anniversary capsule collection.

Despite the drizzly weather and a packed Thursday-night fashion itinerary, Twin Peaks resident Jeanne Chan, the blogger behind Shop Sweet Things, made it a point to drop by for a peek.

San Francisco fashion bloggers (left to right) Jeanne Chan (Shop Sweet Things), Annie Wilson (Poetic and Chic), and Jesica Ryzenberg (Ryzenbergon).

“I think anyone who is into fashion is a big fan of Louboutin, myself included,” said Chan, who later attended the opening party for home décor boutique Le Cart as well as the Decades vintage shopping party at the Mark Hopkins that night. “I do love that you can buy a pair of well-made, classic black pumps, and people can instantly identify you’re wearing Louboutin because of the red soles. It’s pretty genius branding, if you ask me.”

Excerpted from sfgate.com’s Unzipped 3/20/12.

To read the rest of my post, go here.

Courtesy of San Francisco Fashion Film Festival. Design by Alice Lam.

San Francisco is adding yet another notch to its fashion-cred belt this spring, thanks to local style bloggers Adelle McElveen (Fashionista Lab), Kimara Mitchell Stokes (J’adore Couture), and Annie Wilson (Poetic and Chic), who co-founded the inaugural San Francisco Fashion Film Festival launching March 25 and running through April 8.

Presenting eight feature-length films, eight documentary shorts and 14 fashion shorts submitted by filmmakers from Amsterdam, The Netherlands and London, United Kingdom, the local event kicks off with a complimentary screening of Jacques Becker’s Falbalas, in conjunction with the exhibit The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the de Young Museum on April 8. The rest of the screenings take place in the Mission’s Roxy Theater.

Here’s the scoop—straight from the fashion-obsessed co-founders—on how the festival came to be, their personal picks, and other surprising highlights from the stellar line-up.

How/why did you come up with the idea for the Fashion Film Fest?

Adelle: “I wanted to start doing more creative work, and after listening to Annie and Kim talk about Style Cinema, the idea for a film festival popped into her head. Annie had hosted some cafe screenings a few years ago under StyleCinemaSF. She and Kim had discussed reviving the series in a new location, just at the time when I mentioned doing a full-scale film festival. It was perfect timing!”

If you had to pick just one film from the line-up as your favorite, which one would it be and why?

Adelle: “This is a tough question. I’m excited about Ziegfeld Girl, our ‘Tailoring the Man’ block, and God Save My Shoes; but to pick one at this very moment, I would say Miss Representation. It offers an important perspective and counterpoint to the usual discourse in the world of fashion. I do believe that fashion is fun, and has an important place in both culture and industry, but there are negative implications. It’s important to consider them as well.”

Annie: “For me, it’s the menswear block we put together called ‘Tailoring the Man.’ I absolutely love Chris Floyd‘s documentary shorts called How I Get Dressed. I think he captured a portrait of stylish modern men that is so matter-of-fact and simple, showing men at their most vulnerable and personal. It’s pretty incredible work, and I’m not just saying that because the men are good-looking. (They are!) Pairing these shorts with the documentary Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills just makes perfect sense. The resurgence of bespoke in contemporary menswear owes everything to artisans like Jack Taylor. He is a living legend and his story needs to be shared again and again.”

Kim: “I would have to say The Matrix is my favorite. When it came out, it was so revolutionary, from the special effects to the story to the costumes. Sci-fi movies tend to have fashion that can border on campiness; The Matrix took things already in the fashion vernacular—slim black suits, trench coats, capes—and turned them into armor. Then fashion designers took those cues and made fashion that was armor for the real world, like some of Nicolas Ghesquiere‘s collections for Balenciaga, Hedi Slimane‘s tough trenches for Dior Homme or the minimal paneled leather jackets and bias cut long sweep skirts of Rick Owens.”

Do you think any of the films included in the line-up might come as a surprise to audiences as being influence in fashion? And what might audiences learn from that title?

Adelle: “For people who aren’t familiar with classic films, Ziegfeld Girl might be a surprise. I was surprised both by how much I liked it, and by how I actually recognized contemporary fashion themes played out in a movie from the 1940s. Four words: the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. If you come to the screening you’ll know what I mean.”

Annie: “I think that Ziegfeld Girl holds the most surprise as a film that was influential to fashion designers and costumers. Designers from Bob Mackie and Bill Blass to Valentino love this film and were influenced by Adrian’s over-the-top costumes. The Ziegfeld Follies that are portrayed and the fantastical costumes that made the Follies famous are totally foreign to modern eyes (even in Las Vegas or on Broadway), and it requires a certain suspension of disbelief. But, this film is irresistible; once the credits roll, you’re hooked and totally absorbed by the romance and fantasy. Bring on the feathers and pom-poms!”

Kim: “I definitely think the sci-fi choices may be a surprise to some, mainly because of the quirkiness that those movies tend to have. Barbarella is certainly not a serious look at the future, but it introduced the idea of a strong female heroine, which then evolved into the role of Trinity in The Matrix. Both movies had far-reaching impact on the world of fashion by either inspiring designers or inspiring women to take more risks with or have more confidence in their fashion choices.”

My latest and greatest discovery is Julep, a Seattle-based boutique nail salon and gorgeous line of nail polishes launched by Jane Park, a former Starbucks exec. While the nail category is still definitely on fire, this brand manages to stand out in the crowd for its sleek, cute packaging (each bottle looks more like a long-and-lean lip gloss that you’ll want to tote around in your purse), its pigment-rich formulas, and its truly beautiful color assortment. I put on “Gloria” this afternoon, a bright coral-y pink that’s perfect for the start of spring. I’ll have to report back on its chip-resistance factor–especially since I’m tapping away on the keyboard all day.

The giant assortment of colors sitting on my desk. Launching at Sephora.com on April 10.

Sephora.com will launch this line on April 10…can’t wait!

Our view of the Singapore skyline from Marina Bay. Photos by Edric Itchon.

While planning our trip from Manila, some Filipino relatives had even warned us about shiny Singapore being “soul-less” in comparison to gritty historic Manila. It would seem Singapore’s sterile cleanliness was the biggest impression left in the minds of foreign travelers I had encountered—a bias that lingered before having ever seen the place.

When we arrived, were happily surprised, entertained, and generally taken by our experience there. Yes, it’s true. Singapore is very, very clean. I can hardly remember coming across a single piece of litter or graffiti while strolling around the city—not necessarily a bad thing in my mind. Although the “no durian” signs plastered throughout the metro stations were definitely amusing!

A spectacular riverside playground of nightlife, shopping, and dining at Clarke Quay.

But what I hadn’t really heard about prior to landing there was that this is a thriving global hub, with a gorgeous skyline, dotted by artful green spaces. Little did I know there would be a huge array of international fashion retail in the shopping centers along bustling Orchard Road, eclectic outdoor “hawker centers” where vendors sell delicious, authentic pan-Asian foods, and vibrant nightlife spilling out of chic bars, new casinos, and cafes.

A "don't miss" national dish: Hainanese Chicken Rice (signature of the Chatterbox restaurant in the Meritus Mandarin Hotel)

Though we only had a few days, Edric and I managed to shop, eat, visit the national museum, and squeeze in some time for our usual sport of documenting street fashion when we travel together. With temperatures hovering at about 85 degrees fahrenheit, the muggy tropical air brought out Singaporeans sporting their winter wardrobes of trim sundresses, gladiator sandals, ballet flats, sun-shielding parasols, and assorted neutrals with bright pops of color.

Fashionably white: front row fashion show guests await the start of Snow 2012, hosted by the San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Network. All photography by Edric Itchon.

Copy as seen in the San Francisco Chronicle
Sunday, February 5, 2012

By Nerissa Pacio Itchon

Never mind the old-fashioned advice against wearing weight-adding white on camera. At the third annual Snow event, hosted by the San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Network, droves of picture-happy partygoers eagerly posing in head-to-toe white were as much a part of the entertainment as the white-themed fashion show.

Held at the unlikely venue of a SoMa auto-repair garage that was transformed into an industrial-chic catwalk Jan. 28, the evening drew about 250 guests dressed in everything from slinky gowns and feathered spectator hats to cheeky flight suits and fur chubbies.

“People are really getting into the white idea this year,” said Joseph Domingo, founding director of the trade and events group, whose mission is to connect members of the local fashion industry.

“The first year when we started this, people were asking me, ‘How can we ever find all-white outfits in wintertime?’ I said ‘You can find it anywhere – besides, it’s all on sale in January!’ “

Joseph Domingo's pleated A-line dress moved beautifully down the makeshift runway. Photography by Edric Itchon.

The 30-minute fashion show, produced by a crew of about 100 volunteers, featured six local designers and a range of aesthetics and skill levels. The lineup included veterans Cari Borja, Julie Schindler and Domingo, as well as emerging designers Violetta Vieux, Cana Klebanoff and Herbert Williamson.

Vieux, a native of Moldova who studied fashion in Paris, opened the presentation with three expertly constructed wedding gowns that converted into frothy cocktail dresses intended for the reception.

“This collection was inspired by snow before I even knew I was going to participate in Snow,” said Vieux backstage while working on last-minute fittings on her models.

“You can see my design of the snowflakes, flowers, feathers, all the organza, the ruffles, the icy rhinestones, and the skirts, which look like an avalanche.”

Violetta Vieux's convertible wedding gowns go from full-length to short in an instant. Photography by Edric Itchon.

Klebanoff, a student at City College of San Francisco who has worked as an intern for Domingo, kept things fresh with his G.I. Joe-meets-1970s-inspired menswear collection. Basic jersey T-shirts and turtlenecks paired well with trim, structured suits in white cotton twill and linen.

Recent Chicago transplant Herbert Williamson showed a somewhat disjointed collection of pencil skirts, voluminous blouses and an overworked evening gown that looked something like a bikini top attached to a ruffled column skirt.

Backstage at the Snow Fashion Event 2012.

Schindler, who began her career in the late 1980s designing coats at wholesale for stores such as I. Magnin, did what she said she knows best: outerwear. While the concept of her shiny, full-length jacket went awry with its quilted lab coat effect, Schindler also delivered more wearable pieces, such as structured overcoats in creamy white with bold, oversize collars and buttons.

Borja and Domingo were the clear anchors for the night. Borja delighted the crowd with a breezy loungewear collection in organic cotton, linen and tulle that she dubbed “boudoir to the beach.”

Her crinkled linen men’s pieces, her first foray into menswear, were sent down the makeshift runway in striptease fashion, to the crowd’s sheer delight.

A breezy resort-inspired menswear look by local designer Cari Borja. Photography by Edric Itchon.

“All of the pieces flow, they all move, which is how my collections always are,” said Borja. “It’s really for anyone who goes to the beach. I love the idea of being in New York in the midst of winter and flying down to a dreamy beach house in Jamaica.”

Domingo punctuated the event with an impressive seven-piece collection of meticulously constructed eveningwear, styled with piles of statement jewelry by local designer Saeia.

Domingo preps models backstage before the show.

An icy, sequined, long-sleeved backless gown seemed ideal for a wintry opening night at the Ballet, while a flutter-sleeve lace minidress epitomized the freshness of spring.

Joseph Domingo's shimmering, key-hole back gown, ideal for opening night at the Ballet. Photography by Edric Itchon.

“There are more restrictions designing in white because white can be very flat,” said Domingo, who was celebrating with a drink at the after-party. “The challenge is you have to add texture, jewels, details, flow and movement.”

Nerissa Pacio Itchon is a freelance writer. style@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/05/LV7J1N0G10.DTL

One of the amazing pieces produced during the four-week Arts of Fashion Summer MasterClass in Paris. The women's wear incorporated intricate pleating techniques that students learned from working under master pleat-maker Gerard Lognon.

Earlier this week I wrote about the Arts of Fashion’s 10th Anniversary Symposium at the San Francisco Art Institute and the winners of the international student design competition. I was so inspired by the creativity and high level of craftsmanship, achieved in a short amount of time, I had to bring you more photos I took of the exhibitions.

The set up reminded me a lot of the Hyeres International Fashion and Photography Festival in the South of France, where each emerging designer had on display their portfolios, including mini “mood boards” and original sketches, alongside the final pieces. Seeing the story of the work is often as intriguing for me as seeing the work itself. It gives me the chance to get inside a designer’s head for that brief moment and make the connection between the original inspirations and the final outcomes. The clothes ranged from beautiful and commercially sellable to odd wearable art—and everything in between.

With the sheer number of new beauty products that land on my desk at Sephora each day, something has to have that total wow factor to get me excited enough to blog about it. There are plenty of new products, and plenty of very good new products. But then there are those rare products that I fall in love with, obsess over, and must share with everyone I know.

L’Oreal Professional’s new Mythic Oil is one of those amazing newcomers—and it’s not even sold at Sephora (though I really wish it was!). I first discovered it covering backstage beauty in September at the Jenny Packham show during New York Fashion Week and have been using it daily ever since.

Today’s shift in weather reminds me that rainy season is on the way, making it the perfect time to stock up on this beauty wonder. Unlike other leave-in treatments that weigh down my hair, this lightweight blend of grape seed and avocado oils absorbs instantly—even on my fine, color-processed locks.

Use it on damp hair before a blow-dry to condition and prep your style, or smooth one to two pumps onto dry hair, concentrating on the ends, for instant moisture, frizz control and shine. The bonus?  Its delicious scent that’s refreshingly fruity and floral without being overly cloying. Get it on Amazon or salons that carry the L’Oreal Professionel line.

Designs by Xiaotian Zhang (Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology), winner of the Arts of Fashion Paris summer MasterClass award. Photo by Margo Moritz.

Held for the first time at the San Francisco Art Institute, the picturesque campus served as the ideal backdrop for a weekend of inspired creativity. The two-day event  featured fashion lectures by designers, educators, and industry experts—including the CFDA’s  Steven Kolb and Arts of Fashion founder Nathalie Doucet—along with fashion exhibitions by emerging designers.

Designs by Maxime Rappaz (Haute Ecole d'Art et de Design – Geneva), winner of the 2011 Arts of Fashion Anne Valerie Hash Award. Photo by Margo Moritz.

The main exhibit, held outdoors in the school’s Spanish courtyard, displayed 24 men’s and women’s wear silhouettes produced by students who participated in the four-week Arts of Fashion Summer MasterClass in Paris. The women’s wear pieces, first shown last summer at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, incorporated intricate pleating techniques that students learned from working under master pleat-maker Gerard Lognon. As a third-generation pleat-maker, Lognon has worked with Hermes—for the Plisse scarf collection—as well as couture houses such as Dior and Chanel.

Designs by Jo Eun A (Daegu University), winner of the 2011 Arts of Fashion Paris summer MasterClass Award. Photo by Margo Moritz.

Also exhibited were the 60 primarily avant-garde works entered in the non-profit’s annual international design competition, which encourages new designers to innovate and push conventional boundaries of fashion. Winners of this year’s contest, for which students created original designs with the guiding theme of “tension,” receive internships at renowned fashion design houses in the U.S., France, and India for four weeks to four months.

Designs by Alicia Declerck (Polimoda / Firenze), winner of the Manish Arora Award. Photo by Margo Moritz.

Announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday were this year’s winners. The list below includes their respective schools and awards:

• Elizabeth Barbaro  (Whitehouse Institute of Design / Sydney) – AoF Paris summer MasterClass
• Alicia Declerck  (Polimoda / Firenze) – Manish Arora Award
• Jo Eun A  (Daegu University) – AoF Paris summer MasterClass
• Miranda Kaloudis  (Inst. Fashion-Design – Basel) – Nice Collective Award
• Pavla Podsednikova  (Academy of Arts, Arch. & Design – Prague) – Jerome Dreyfuss Award
• Maxime Rappaz (Haute Ecole d’Art et de Design – Geneva) – Anne Valerie Hash Award
• Xiaotian Zhang (Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology) – AoF Paris summer MasterClass

Designs by Elizabeth Barbaro (Whitehouse Institute of Design / Sydney), winner of the 2011 Arts of Fashion Paris summer MasterClass Award. Photo by Margo Moritz.

Shoe design by Pavla Podsednikova (Academy of Arts, Arch. & Design – Prague), winner of the Jerome Dreyfuss Award . Photo by Margo Moritz.