Local fashion + shopping for 12.3-12.9

In addition to my cover story on holiday fashion, which I wrote and styled, check out the rest of writing in this week's Vita.mn (on stands through Wednesday):

[A Spring 2010 look by Joynoelle. Image by Photogen-Inc.]

Holiday shopping (originally posted at Vita.mn)

During the Weisman Art Museum's annual Be Dazzled event, get your picture taken in a vintage photo booth, check out samples and demos and take 20 percent off everything -- including laser-cut jewelry by silvercocoon, poster prints by Adam Turman and leather handbags by Urban Junket. (4 p.m. Thu. 333 East River Pkwy., Mpls. 612-625-9494.)

Joy Teiken plays host to her annual Joynoelle Holiday Party at her Joynoelle boutique. She'll be joined by her friends at Apiary Design stationery, Penny Larsen Jewelry and Urban Junket handbags, so you can cross a few items off your shopping list. Friday night includes champagne and chocolates, with cookies and cider on Saturday. (5-8 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 312 W. 42nd St., Mpls. 612-209-7822.)

Finch's Holiday Boutique returns for another weekend of handcrafted jewelry, clothing, cards and artwork that can't be found anywhere else. The popular in-home boutique packed in more than 130 shoppers last year, so get there early to snag gifts by 2709, Rectangle Designs and Vân Tran. (11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. 3615 25th Av. S., Mpls. finchsboutique.blogspot.com.)

This award-winning British TV commercial, titled "Queen," and was made for PG Tips Tea. (British Television Advertising Awards)

Opening Friday: British Television Awards at the Walker Art Center
British humor -- either you love it or you hate it. Though much of it is lost on American audiences, the Walker's annual presentation of "The Brits" has been hugely popular the past 20 years, selling out many dates throughout its monthlong run. This year's crop of commercials, selected by the advertising industry's top executives and producers around the world, don't disappoint, showcasing the Brits' typically dry, irreverent, cheeky sense of humor, to highly entertaining results.

Highlights include a commercial featuring George Washington and other American colonial figures playing American football, a 1980s flashback for Virgin Airlines and the history of 20th-century Britain boiled down into a 120-second bread commercial. Humor is set aside for a few serious ads, some advocating safety while driving, and oddly, one encouraging viewers not to carry knives (this must be more of a problem in a nation with gun control).

But the ads are at their best when sticking to trademark British humor, as in a spot set up like a scene from "Clue." In an absurd twist, the ad ends by asking the audience to spot 21 things that have changed throughout the ad, and then demonstrates how the changes were made to comical effect.

As a bonus this year, the Walker has extended its "Walker Pub" British food and drink offerings from Wolfgang Puck beyond opening night, so you can enjoy some chips with your chuckles. (Click here for more)

[The cast of Clue]

Friday: The Midnight Movie Society: Clue at Red Stag
If you've ever longed for the opportunity to dress up as Miss Scarlet or Colonel Mustard, now's your chance. Just in time for the cold months ahead, Vita.mn's Midnight Movie Society kicks off with the 1985 cult classic (and board-game adaptation) "Clue," a campy whodunit that is one part slapstick, one part McCarthyism satire. Combined with the Red Stag Supperclub's famous truffle popcorn, a midnight champagne toast and a 1950s-era soundtrack provided by DJ Jake Rudh, it's kind of a no-brainer. The hard part will be fighting with your friends over who gets to dress up as whom. (Click here for more)

Friday-Saturday: No-Coast Craft-o-Rama at Midtown Global Market
Holding strong since the advent of indie craft fairs in the mid-'00s, No Coast Craft-o-Rama is still the state's biggest and most popular fair of its kind. New items this year include adorable plush embroidered toys from Penguin & Fish, quirky vintage-inspired stationery and letterpress from Dude and Chick and handmade eco-friendly jewelry in the shapes of trees, bunnies and deer by Figs & Ginger. Returning favorites include poster screen-printers Miss Amy Jo, Aesthetic Apparatus and Burlesque of North America, painter Amy Rice and babywear line Hazel & Melvin's Room. (Click here for more)

["American Political" by Aunia Kahn]

Opening Friday: Politi-Pop at Altered Esthetics
There's a razor-thin line between political art and art about politics. Altered Esthetics' latest group show attempts to toe that line, exploring societal issues through pop art. Unsurprisingly, heavily charged symbolism and imagery are front and center; take Aunia Kahn's "American Political," dominated by a young tattooed woman wrapped suggestively in an American flag, blindfolded and flanked by a large star. At best, it should provide some interesting discourse, though there's always the potential for overwrought grandstanding. (Click here for more)

Opening Friday: "Fat Man Crying" at Minneapolis Theatre Garage
If you're more the type to watch "Bad Santa" instead of "It's a Wonderful Life," this is the Christmas show for you. Written and directed by local theater denizen Joseph Scrimshaw back in 2007, the story's protagonist is a depressed Santa Claus who breaks into the home of a married couple on Christmas Eve. "Santa" is hellbent on destroying their marriage -- and himself -- unless the couple can bring him back from the brink. Reviews from previous years' performances praised the show as clever and frenetically entertaining. (Click here for more)

Also be sure to get your tickets to the holiday fashion show I'm styling for VimLab and Ignite Models at the W Minneapolis on Wednesday. Kara Nesvig's writeup on the show for Vita.mn:

[A holiday 2009 look by George Moskal at the MNfashion boutique. Image by Carlos Gonzalez/Vita.mn]

Next Wednesday: 'Tis the Season to Glitz and Glam at W Minneapolis
Haven't had a hankering to purchase a festive little dress full of frills and furbelows for holiday cocktail parties and swanky seasonal shindigs? You'll find more than a few swaying options at this holiday fashion show. The VimLab/Ignite Models production at the W hotel features fashion from local boutiques Il Vostro and Bumbershute as well as accessories created by local golden boy Christopher Straub of "Project Runway" fame. Sip a complimentary pomegranate cocktail while watching, and figure out what you'll be wearing all season long. Springing for VIP tickets ($20-$25) nabs you a swag bag and free drink. (7:30-10 p.m. Wed. W Minneapolis -- The Foshay, 821 Marquette Av. S., Mpls. General admission $10-$15. www.vitalculture.com)