by Sarah Whistler
Fashion has traditionally been an imported commodity for those of us living in the wild West. Texas isn't as wild as it once was; we now produce almost everything we need, right here in the sticks. But, until recently, we've had to wait for word from the big cities back East about what to wear. Well, London Fabrics, along with 12 Texas designers, is 'helping to change all that.
On September 12, London Fabrics will sponsor the Vogue Patterns Portfolio, a traveling trunk style show, featuring the designs of fashion heavyweights like Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Perry Ellis, Yves St. Laurent and Albert Nipon. The shop has presented this show in Austin for the past three years. But this year, we'll get a glimpse of something different. For the first time, local designers will have a chance to present their work alongside the big shots. I don't know what Calvin Klein has cooked up for fall, but the local talent should make the show worth seeing.
Among the 12 Texas designers represented will be E. Ann Elam, who designs clothes for the Texas climate. She will present a "dancehall dress" at the show made from unbleached muslin sheeting that she gets from the Amish in Pennsylvania.
Another designer, Jerri Kunz, will show "evening wear for the man and woman of 1990." She'll feature something called a "Judy Jetson costume" and will introduce her "cupcake trousers." Angela Blanchard, who incorporates tatting, embroidery and crochet into her work, will also be represented at the show and another local designer, J. J. Levy, will show her hand- quilted creations.
London's II, at the West Anderson Plaza, will be the setting for this showcase of local fashions, with shows at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets for the shows are $5 and will benefit Camp Horizon, a summer camp for special children. Advance tickets are available at any of the London Fabrics stores.
We might do well to consider the advantages of supporting these local designers. Because they live here, they can best understand what clothes fit our lifestyles and our tastes--maybe even our bodies. The clothes that came in the trunk from the Vogue Patterns people specify the following vital statistics for the women who model these clothes: height: 5' 7", measurements: 32 1/2 - 25 - 34 l/2. I'm going to go just to see the people they found who could fit into the clothes.