Local inspiration: Happy Halloween!

Here's a little Halloween creepiness for you. Local accessories line Artist Built just shared images of a new photo shoot they did with local designer Laura Whitney and photographer Sasha Landskov. Happy Halloween!

Preview: RAW: natural born artists features local fashion talent

Tonight, another edition of the monthly arts-meets-music-meets-fashion showcase RAW: natural born artists will makes its way to the Fine Line. In addition to some local artists and musicians, local fashion designers Elena Mercurio - best known for appearing in Voltage 2010 - and recent University of Minnesota grad Hilary Hubanks, as well as accessory lines Artist Built and Lefthand Originals. Some of the designers gave me a preview of what to expect tonight.

Elena will be showing her Fall/Winter 2011 collection, "Sande" (inspired by the traditional Sande African mask), which promises to mix her structured details with African-inspired prints and textures:


Hilary Hubanks plans to show her new S/S 2012 line, which she just showed for the first time last week at "Fashion Fighting Stigma." This line was inspired by a mix of old and new, traditional braiding and weaving techniques, and modern and clean kimono-style silhouettes. Her color palette was inspired from the color of old paint and antique cream. Here are a few looks from that show:


"Geometry Class," the latest collection from local jewelry line Lefthand Originals (featured recently with Ivan Idland's line at Voltage 2011), will be showcased both on the runway paired with the designs of Hilary Hubanks and in a booth. Here's a sampling:


Laser-cut leather accessories line Artist Built will also be on display, and worn by Elena Mercurio's models. Here are some of their newest designs they'll be debuting tonight:


For more details on the show, visit www.rawartists.org/minneapolis/fusion.

New local e-commerce site lets designers sell one-off pieces

A problem many independent designers face is finding a retailer to carry their line - much of which typically consists of one-of-a-kind pieces. A new local e-commerce site, (the annoyingly-named) One-Offs Yippee!, has jumped in to fill this void. The site features many well-known local designers, like Christopher Straub of Project Runway fame and Voltage 2011 designer Sarah M. Holm, plus accessories designers (Tea Tree Designs, Artist Built, Carrie Cordelia Handbags) and some relative unknowns. There's also some non-fashion-designer entries, like photographers Colleen Guenther and Justin Grierson, selling large-scale prints of their work. Check it out at one-offsyippee.com.


My favorite pick so far? Christopher Straub's short-short men's swim trunks with a Pucci-esque print.