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n a region where cowboy boots and bolos are considered acceptable formal attire, you might not expect the sophistication and creativity that characterize the local fine-arts scene to extend to fashion design. But you’d be wrong. In the following pages, you’ll see what happens when unfettered imagination and creative flair are paired with unexpected materials. Trend’s carefully selected local designers, all of them bona fide artists who draw inspiration from the rugged lifestyle and unique perspectives of 21st-century New Mexico, show us what they can do with “fabrics” as diverse as twigs, recycled foil tops from coffee cans, Caution tape, credit cards, and champagne corks. Even tried-and-true latex, once the sole purview of X-rated shops whose catalogs are mailed in plain brown wrappers, finds new expression here in apparel that understates the sexy while proudly proclaiming the new and the bold. The backdrops and props for these creations—some of which have been displayed in art galleries—are equally unexpected: the auto shop at Española’s Northern New Mexico College, where students learn the fine points of lowrider design and auto technology; art cars built for beauty and speed; and the studio of renowned glass artist Stacey Neff, complete with blast furnace and molten glass. Check out this inspired collection of repurposed, mundane objects and materials—fashion that’s delightfully edgy and undeniably unique.
The Wild West Twigs and trash, latex and lowriders add some rad to Santa Fe fashion
Patricia Michaels’s twig dress
santafetrend.com
SANTA FE TREND | FASHION
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