It didn’t surprise me that De Vera and the supremely talented Kathe Williams (see Two Green Witches 9/9/10), had the imagination to design a Marie Antoinette dress, to fashion it out of burlap, to dress a madonna-like mannequin in it, and to make it beautiful. Frayed at the hem, ruffled along the bodice, sweetly draped, it has that unique alchemy of blended rusticity and sophistication. It is a piece of art in itself but, at the new, UES boite that De Vera opened only this past weekend, our lovely lady is the model for necklaces and brooches that form part of the exquisite, original jewelry collection. While jewelry – often redesigned from old pieces – is a strong player, there are other gems here: a porcelain camel and cameleer, ostrich egg with red wax seal and encrusted jewel crown, ivory spoons, crystal balls, oil portraits, gilded architectural elements. A treasure trove of objects, each of whose provenance I long to know, is watched over by a beautiful, serene lady in her burlap ball gown.
Since 2007, when fashion designer and philanthropist Donna Karan founded the Urban Zen Foundation, an inspiringly beautiful holiday market appears at 705 Greenwich Street in lower Manhattan. Each year, Karan creates a marketplace that combines humanitarianism with consumerism, promoting shopping with a purpose. The Foundation is dedicated to three initiatives: preservation of culture (past); bringing mind, body and spirit to healthcare (present); education (future.) The opening last night featured more than 40 artisans from countries as diverse as Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, India, South Africa and Mexico, artisans that exhibit at the International Folk Art Market in the Southwest each summer. The space is the perfect venue in which to display fabrics and objects, photographs and fashion in such a way that they - and you - feel instantly at home.
Of particular beauty were the feather light shrugs, coats and jackets of Farzana Sharshenbieva from Kyrgyzstan; the magnificently, finely tie dyed bandhani silk scarves of Gujarati Abduljabbar Khatri; the sensuous Zulu pots of Jabulile Nala whose mother is considered a national treasure. I adored the heavy, indigo dyed raw cotton jackets of Laotian Boukhong Signavong that greet you as you enter this magical space.
There is nothing more healing, nothing more inspiring, nothing more warming than to be in the presence of passionate artisans who draw beauty from their souls to share it with others. It was hard to leave Urban Zen last night, so hard, in fact, that I shall return tomorrow."
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