Art 2 Wear: San Miguel de Allende

I had my first experience photographing a runway show! A group of designers and fashionistas led by India Bastien in San Miguel de Allende organized a weekend-long fashion event called Art 2 Wear. I attended the fashion show held on a large tented stage in the center of town two weeks ago on Saturday, August 17th. Free and open to the public, the event drew a large and all-age diverse crowd. It was a long show, about five hours. I was there for the last half, positioning myself with the other photographers at the end of the runway. It was a thrill!

There was a DJ playing high-energy catwalk music and then it suddenly died. While the poor DJ tried to fix the sound system, one of the resourceful organizers had a group of mariachis from El Jardín, the main plaza, pop up on the stage and play. They were dressed so sharp, they're naturals on the runway.

Designs from Tuna Boutique, this dress modeled by Mittie Roger. 

Beautiful traditional style on the street. 

Opening entertainment with great flair and style for the clothing line Apashanka, by designer Apashanka araña tejedora. 

I fell in love with Apashanka's sexy designs using traditional embroidery but in a bold modern way. This dress worn by Mittie Roger.

The Apashanka dresses were modeled with Cock of the Walk boots. 

The fashion show ended with the tribal, hipster Mexico City designs of Summer Romero. 

It was a fabulous event, full of sensory delights. The range of creativity and talent in San Miguel is a constant source of surprise and inspiration. This year was such a success, there are plans for a bigger Art 2 Wear festival next year and I hope to be there at the end of the runway once again!

Galeria Treasures

Rocio at the Mercado de Artesanias wearing Jose-designed earrings, necklace and bracelet. 

I can't resist, I hope you don't mind, but here's one more story about beautiful things made in beautiful San Miguel de Allende. The lovely Rocio is one half of a designing couple. Her husband, Jose, began creating this particular line of jewelry only six months ago, but he's so prolific he's filled a shop in the center of town and a stall in the Artist's Market.

Part of the magic and excitement of the Artisan's Market is finding the treasures among the usual and expected items. And one of the joys is that there are so many treasures, they're not hard to find! During our last trip in January, on one of my nearly-daily runs through the market, this display of jewelry caught my eye. When I stepped into the stall for a closer look, I met the very friendly and charming Rocio and Jose. Most of the designs have a hip repurposed industrial feel but some incorporate precious antique milagro hearts from Rocio's grandmother's collection. I tried on a little bit of everything, finally deciding on a necklace.

They gave me their card and invited me to visit their shop in the center of town. I recognized the style of the card as that of an artist Matt and I met in San Miguel a couple years ago, El Pinche Grabador. We went to one of his openings and really liked his work. Rocio said that the card was indeed designed by him and in fact they were good friends. Such is the sublime serendipity of San Miguel, where there is two degrees of separation, at most.

Jose in his shop

When I stopped by Galeria Treasures, Jose and I had a fun chat about what inspires him. As a kid, he loved looking at his mother's fashion magazines. He liked the beautiful women, of course, but was also drawn to fashion, realizing that dressing well was very important. He's been making jewelry of various styles and materials for over twenty years. But he's passionate about his current line, combining rubber and brass parts.

This necklace, earrings and bracelets could easily fit in with the jewelry sold at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art shop. Made of rubber, brass and steel, the well-made designs are bold, original and contemporary. Jose says he was inspired by the energy of crop circles and imagining what their messages and complex meanings may be.

No deep meaning here, but these Mexican beer bottle cap bracelets are funky and fabulous. 

On our next visit, I think I need to get one of these.

The necklace I selected and have worn many times since. It brings me good luck!

Flores de muchos colores y mas

Matt and I recently returned from a short but very sweet one-week trip to San Miguel de Allende, MX. We have a casa there and since we go often, I sometimes wonder "Have I seen it all? Have I done it all?" And the answer is always a resounding no. Every trip we meet new people all busily creating and exploring something stylish and artistic.

Yaruke, at Hernandez Macias #93

On my walk from our casa to the center of town, I came across this shop. The facade was so rustic and charming, I had to step in.  And there I found many beautiful scarves, satin flowers, necklaces and handpainted nichos. And I met the warm and friendly owner and artist, Yolanda Varela.

Yolanda with her richly painted nichos. 

Yolanda has been painting nichos (tin shadow-boxes traditionally with religious references, but now with culture icons) for fifteen years.  I was entranced by Yolanda's creations, the only challenge is how to choose? I'm planning to collect a few on our next trip to hang in our casa.

Sitting in the airy studio area at the back of the shop, Maria de Los Angeles Sanchez Arredondo (beautiful name!), works with Yolanda making the flowers and attaching them to clips and scarves. The flowers measure about three inches across and are an easy accessory with stylish impact. One or more can be clipped on a jacket lapel, in the V of a v-neck tee or in your hair. I bought a bunch for gifts and the green one above for myself and wore it nearly everyday, adding jazzy whimsy to my outfit. They're not available online, so I'll have to wait for my next visit to buy more. They would make great little place card holder/party favors for a luncheon with girlfriends.

Elegant and festive shawls feature the satin flowers. So many colors and designs, it's hard to choose.  But I managed to select a couple!

This shawl would be gorgeous at a summer wedding. 

This view is looking from the back of the shop to the front.

 On every wall and shelf is a new treasure.  The satin flowers of Yaruka are unique and I love knowing the women who make them. When I wear one in San Francisco, it reminds me of San Miguel. And when someone comments on it, I get a chance to tell a story about this rich and wonderful place.

Viva La Catrina-tude

La Parroquia on Dia de Los Muertos with papel picado fluttering in the night breeze. 

We're in San Miguel de Allende now, experiencing the week-long celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Day of the Dead is my favorite holiday and I usually honor it by building an altar at home and participating in the procession in San Francisco's Mission District on November 2.

So it's a dream come true for me to be in Mexico for the holiday. As you can imagine, the festivities are rich and beautiful here. On November 1 was the Concurso de Catrinas where hundreds of Catrinas and Catrines gathered in El Jardin, the center of town, to show off their Bien Vestido best.

Catrina and Catrine is the well-dressed society couple. Women have really taken to the image of Catrina, she is the embodiment of bold style with no fear about showing off her beauty and daring persona. Below are just a few of the hundreds that promenaded around El Jardin.

Her entire "wedding dress" was fashioned from the obituary pages. Fabulosa!

A beautifully attired but frightening Frida. 

A darling little Catrina. 

True Catrina-tude. 

A young El Catrine.  With that bow tie, he is muy Bien Vestido!

This is Amelia. Another adorable little Catrina. 

That's me on the left with my friend Elena. 

A very handsome couple. 

Our Little Piece of Mexico

Early morning, my Tia and I in front of Casa Gil,
in Colonia San Antonio, Calle San Juan.

Once I start talking about San Miguel de Allende it's hard for me to stop. I've shared with you some of my favorite places but I couldn't say adios to my SMdeA series without sharing Casa Gil. This will be the last post about San Miguel -- until the next time! Casa Gil, named after hubby Matt's paternal side of his family from Andulacia, Spain, is the home we finished construction on four years ago. And it's a work in progress. Matt and I enjoy the design process and we don't get there as often or for as long as we would like, so we've convinced ourselves to relax into the fact that the casa will take some time to be "done". But we love watching the place evolve and hope our family, friends, friends of friends and renters that stay there do too.

The entry. Antique bench found in El Centro. 
Brand new shelf built by Matt. 

Behind the big brown door.
Matt working in the studio. It's a large high-ceilinged space
that's great for a designer or painter. 

Walking from the entry to the patio. We just got the chairs and the new patio table design is 
with Maestro Rodrigo (right around the corner) for fabrication. 

The dining room. I always wanted a reason to buy equipal chairs and table. 
And for between the palm and lamp, the hutch design on the way!

The kitchen. The tiles were made in SMdeA. 
The papier mache chickens on the top shelf were made by local artist Rosa. 

The living room. Sofa and chairs made by Grace's Sofas in El Centro.  

The Master Bedroom. I found that gorgeous gold-leafed tin heart
in the back of the tiniest stall in the Mercado Artesanias. Matt made the end tables. 
The bed frame was made in the neighborhood.

The master bathroom. The light fixtures,
mirrors and glassware from the Mercado Artesanias. 

The upstairs guest room.  Art for the walls to come!

The upstairs guest bathroom. The green is integrated in the concrete, 

called a pullido finish. A little more dramatic than expected, but why not?

The upstairs terrace with spiral stairs to the roof. 

The view from the roof. And as they famously say,
 "You can see the Parroquia from here!" 

Another part of the view. 
It's very nice at night sitting on the roof with a glass of wine. 

I was charmed by some tiles I had seen with paw prints in them. I learned that when the tiles are made they're put in the sun to dry and dogs, cats and roosters often walk across them leaving their prints. And they're thought to be good luck. I mentioned to our builder that I liked them and now we have them all over the casa. Many more than I expected, and some with unidentifiable large claw prints (pterodactyl?), but it's another one of those unique things that I love about our casa and Mexico.