Boston Fashion Week kicks off Friday and runs through Sept. 30.
But Cape Ann residents need not go into the city to get their own taste of the event, and the latest in fashions.
The first "Celebrate Wearable Art!" jewelry, fiber art, and fashion event will be held Sunday, with jewelry, fiber art, and fashion lovers across New England all invited to an oceanside celebration of Fashion Week on Gloucester's Back Shore at the Bass Rocks Golf Club.
The day-long festival — a benefit for the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (seARTS) — will include a jewelry and fiber art marketplace, lunch, cash bar, and runway-style live fashion segments with models displaying every form of wearable art.
Wearable art includes hand-made and one-of-a-kind jewelry, clothing, and accessories created as fine or expressive art — most of which can be worn every day. Along with celebrated Cape Ann designers, artists from the Mobius Runway show and up-and-coming fashion designers from Rising Design Boston will participate in the live segments of the show.
This event offers a preview of Rising Design's fashions to be shown later in the week at Boston Fashion Week.
The majority of the live fashion segments will occur during lunch between noon and 2 p.m., when all shopping will pause so that guests may enjoy the show and a seated lunch by Timothy S. Hopkins Catering, said Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco, of the seARTS Board and Wearable Arts group.
Mayor Carolyn Kirk will make a special appearance after lunch to present the Viewer's Choice Awards.
Ganim-DeFalco noted that Gloucester and Cape Ann were recognized earlier this summer by AmericanStyle Magazine as the No. 3 arts destination for small cities in the nation. And SeARTS officials say the collaborative efforts of creative artists and designers across Cape Ann have contributed to the community's rise on the local and national art scene.
"This fabulous event will also allow North Shore residents to celebrate Boston Fashion Week a little closer to home, and support the works of local designers," Ganim-DeFalco said.
The show will be emceed by Steve Aveson, host of the New England Cable News network "Morning Show."
The event is made possible by presenting sponsors Michael and Elaine Butter of Acme Merchandise and Apparel. Styling will be provided by the Deborah Coull Salon and Ellen Shea of Rising Design.
The show will include collaborative artists Beth Williams of Gloucester and Carol Bugarin of Boston, presenting the "Electric Murano." Primarily composed of handmade glass beads, this headpiece, earrings and necklace will include LED lighting within the pieces. They were inspired by glass artist Dale Chihuly and the glass sculptures on the island of Murano in Venice.
Designer Jane Wang, member of the Mobius artist group of Boston, will be presenting the "Devil with the Red Dress." Wang's ensemble will include a body piece knit-sculpted from electrical wire, and a felted hat and handbag.
Katie Pray of Albany, N.Y., will present her "Zip Tease" jumpsuit and "Besties" collection — an all-zipper skinny leg jumpsuit that weighs in at eight pounds. The pieces in Pray's "Besties" dress collection are named after best friends — for example, the "Dottie," a purple ruffle dress, was inspired by the gladiola flower. Each ruffle is hand-sewn on the base allowing for amazing movement and flow.
Designer Jennifer Greeke of Harpy Fashion in Gloucester will be presenting highlights from her Fall/Winter 2011 Collection, including her "Roxy Dress" made of black cotton, silk and recycled fishnet, and her "Pedestal Dress" made of white cotton twill and fishnet.
Designer Camilla MacFadyen will present a runway piece titled "locally grown haute couture." Using 25 feet of silk chiffon, MacFadyen will swag and style two models as Mother Nature and her daughter. The silk chiffon is printed with heirloom vegetables grown on Cape Ann farms.
Kate Seidman of the Art Room Boutique in Gloucester will be presenting three pieces from her Art Room Boutique collection, including two dresses inspired by photographer Leslie Bartlett images of Cape Ann quarries. Seidman incorporated two of his photographed panels into her Amazonian dresses. Seidman also invited designer Sonia Goulart to create a fourth dress made from hand-painted charmeuse silk that flows as the wearer moves. Originally white, the dress was then hand-painted by Stephen Bates to create the swirl of color.
The event will include sale of unique and handmade jewelry and fashions by local artists. Attendees can also purchase "experiences" including a private, full-day photography workshop, a mosaic workshop, or a private art history session on site at a museum from the "seARTS Art Experience Marketplace."
All of the experiences have been donated by local artists and businesses.
Celebrating Wearable Art
What: Art and fashion show, hosted by seARTS.
Where: Bass Rocks Golf Club, Beach Road, Gloucester.
When: Sunday, all day; lunch and fashion show, noon to 2 p.m.
How much: $80; call 978-281-1222 to check availability. Online www.searts.org/events.htm or http://seartsmarket.com via PayPal
Schedule: Shopping for ticket holders 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.; lunch, noon to 2 p.m.; during the seated lunch, the majority of the live fashion segments will be presented.
More info: 978-281-1222 or email info@searts.org
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