Bloggers, fashion enthusiasts, and all, all, all, if you are in the Bay Area, please come and enjoy!

They are my friends! They are talented designers and fashion entrepreneurs. They are Amy and Anya, owners and designers at Theia Grazi Clothing Co. and Isabelle Ciacchella, co-owner and co-founder at frenchitude.net
They decided to team up for this big sales event! If you are in the Bay Area, do not miss it out!

A Woman in a Feather Hat

Here are the results of my first studio shoot. This shoot featuring Theia Grazi, Yarn&Clay and www.frenchitude.net was vintage-inspired with some furtive elements of "heroin chic" as to messy hair and an absent-minded look. I really enjoyed this shoot!

Vintage-inspired hat by Yarn&Clay
T-shirt by frenchitude.net
Skirt by Theia Grazi
Model: Ksenia Pachurova
Photography: Albina Patou-Chebykina for Rue1 showroom

Black and White: Two Sides of a Woman

White is a color of milk and fresh snow. Black is a color of coal and night. Black traditionally symbolizes darkness while white represents light. I like both white and black colors. But I do not know why, one day I would wear white and another day I would choose black color. Yes, it is true that sometimes my favorite white top is wrinkled and I don't have time to iron it or my nice black pants are still in the laundry basket. And of cause, I will not wear white for a wedding (unless I am a bride) and I would better wear black dress for a cocktail party or a night at the opera. But beyond all the rules, sometimes I am in the mood for wearing black or for wearing white. A woman, wearing black or white, wants to show "her different sides".
White is the beginning. Black is experience.White is innocence. Black is elegance. White is a question. Black is an affirmation. White is “Why Am I like I am”? Black is “Be yourself. Be who you are”.

As it is the beginning, let's get started with the White Mood:

Top by Ines Bauden
Model: Maria Elterman
MUA: Olena Kulik
Photography: Albina Patou-Chebykina (Rue1 showroom)

Here is my "Woman in Black":

Jumpsuit by Ines Bauden
Model: Maria Elterman
MUA: Olena Kulik
Photography: Albina Patou-Chebykina (Rue1 showroom)

Rendezvous: When Art and Fashion Meet. “Mystery” look by Mariya Milovidova.

Fashion is changing, art is everlasting. Fashion requires compromises, art is uncompromising. Fashion is designed for people, art is for mankind. But sometimes fashion and art meet, exchange, communicate, collaborate and create together.

Basically, the dialogue between art and fashion can be seen in two different forms: inspiration or collaboration.

1. Inspiration:

By inspiration I mean that a fashion designer was inspired by existing artwork, as was the case with the classic and iconic Yves Saint Laurent 1965 dress, inspired by the artist Piet Mondrian:

Yves Saint Laurent's "Mondrian" 1965 dress

or Nicholas Kirkwood, inspired by Keith Haring's illustrations:

Kirkwood has used Haring's classicslike Safe Sex and Radiant Baby in hisfootwear collection

2. Collaboration:

By collaboration I mean that a fashion designer and an artist work together to create a wearable piece of art.

To mention a few, Robb Pruitt and Jimmy Choo:

Artist Robb Pruitt's signature pandathroughout Jimmy Choo collection

Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton:

Collection of bags Takashi Murakamidesigned for LV fashion house

Richard Prince and Louis Vuitton:

Prince's nurse paintings came tolife on the Paris runway and beyond

But sometimes, a fashion designer and an artist is one person, and the boundaries between art and fashion are removed. Mariya Milovidova, a Bay Area designer and artist, owner of Mariya Milovidova Art and Fashion, is an example of this merger.

Her dresses' designs are inspired by her own paintings.

When I asked Mariya about the way she creates, she answered:

“I create my painting and artworks at the same time. The way I designed my latest collection, it consists of a 3-step process. First, I come up with a painting. Then, I come up with the design and the fabric that would go well with the painting. To me, the texture of the fabric has to match the feel of the artwork. The last step is the production process.”

Then I asked Mariya whether fashion or art were more important in her creations, and she simply said: “To me, art is fashion and fashion is art.”

When you look at her creations, you understand why she could not have answered differently.

All pictures by Galina Kuzyakova
MUA: Makeup by Lana
Dress and artwork: Mariya Milovidova
Idea: Rue1 showroom

All pictures by Eugene Polyak
MUA: Makeup by Lana
Dress and artwork: Mariya Milovidova
Idea: Rue1 showroom

About the “Rendezvous” project:

The “Rendezvous” project was launched by Rue1 showroom and is a meeting point between art and fashion. The goal of this project is to bring together in one fashion shoot a local Bay Area designer's collection piece and a local artist's artwork. Those two fashion and art creations should be somehow linked. The global goal of this project, as it is of all Rue1 showroom's projects, is to showcase local Bay Area designers and allow them to get more visibility through creative fashion shoots, events etc.

Sam Shan: Once upon a time...

He is a boy with a lovable laugh who came from a tiny planet into a big world. Before his life in San-Francisco he lived with his family in a small Burmese farming village. He studied at school made out of bamboo and had to share his textbooks with others. He likes “Alice in Wonderland,” Winnie-the-Pooh and “The Hobbit.” His name is Sam Shan. He is currently studying fashion design at City College of San Francisco and is the creative director of his own brand “Sam Shan”.

I met Sam at his studio in a quiet neighborhood of San Francisco. He welcomed me with a big smile, Oriental music, two whistling parrots, good coffee and sweet profiteroles stuffed with cream.

By Sam Shan

Tell me a few words about yourself.

I was born in Burma. I was fifteen when I finished high school and fled to Malaysia as a refugee. I have lived in Malaysia for about 6 years. I worked in a grocery store, then as a kitchen helper, and finally as a cook. I immigrated to the United States and feel like I am home here.

Was it always your dream to become a fashion designer?

When I was a school kid, I wanted to become an engineer or a doctor because I was good at mathematics and science. But then I fell in love with fashion. I learned sewing. But I felt like being a tailor is not enough for me. I wanted to create. That's how I decided to be a fashion designer.

What kind of women are you inspired by?

Artistic women, modern women, women who dare to do things, women who are in control of their fates while maintaining their femininity and enjoying their lives.

What about Burmese women? Do they inspire you?

I am definitely inspired by my grandmother. She is 89 years old but is still very active. She raised her 7 children alone. She was a seamstress and she taught me sewing.

What is your inspiration?

Actually, I am inspired by everything surrounding me: nature, animals, all of the beauty of things. I am always looking for a different life out there. The life I've never seen. I always have my notebook that I share my thoughts and ideas with. While creating my latest “Scottish” collection I was inspired by my boyfriend's family story. He has Scottish roots.

Dress by Sam Shan
Photographer: Talya Brott
MUA: Emily Juliette Friedricks
Stylists: JJ Cortez and Lencee Bee
Model: Vicky Parubets

What are the materials you work with?

I work with different materials: plaid, tweed, wool, silk, cotton. I try to combine softness and hardness. My main goal is to make women feel comfortable and beautiful. In my latest FW 14 “Scottish” collection I used plaid, a conservative fabric I love and want to bring back to fashion (Author: like Coco Chanel once did).

What items are must-haves in your closet?

Colorful T-shirts, white and pink pants. May be it is just a spring mood, but I feel like I need more colors - pink, yellow. I love Marten's shoes. Also I love bows and especially handbags and purses.

Dr. Martens grey denim floral shoes

Do you have a charm accessory?

Yes. Two pendents that I wear all the time: one is from Yellowstone Park and another one I bought at Grand Canyon.

How do you see yourself in the future?

Oh, I am so exited about my future (laughs). In a few years I'll have my fashion degree. Then my line will be sold online and in boutiques. Ultimately, I will have my own boutiques: here in San Francisco and later in New York, in Europe, in Malaysia, in Thailand. Every woman should look beautiful.

Interview: Albina Patou-Chebykina

Text: Albina Patou-Chebykina, Lina Bailey

Photographer: Alekz Benavides
Model: Indre Raudon
MUA: Luis Granados
Hair Stylist: Raul Forense 
Dress by Sam Shan

Photographer: Chad Jenkins
Model: Lynnann Ford
MUA: Linsi Matteson
Dress by Sam Shan

Photographer: Chad Jenkins
Model: Sara Juel
MUA: Jessica Fraser
Dress by Sam Shan

Photographer: Molly Van Kley
MUA: Molly McCormick
Hair Stylist: Heather Werner
Wardrobe Editor: Sharron Fisher
Assistant: Collette Grina
Dress by Sam Shan

Photographer: Paul Goodsin
Model: Agnes Liong
MUA: Nomi Nguyen 
Dress by Sam Shan

Drawings by Sam Shan: