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"Wearable" And "Art" Don't Usually Go Together
People pretend they do, and you always see "wearable art" advertised in one of those glossy mags you get in a hotel, but the truth is, clothing is usually either wearable or sculptural/artistic, and not both. And if it is truly sculptural, that usually means it makes you look like you're wearing a big, expensive garbage bag.

This dress -- and other designs -- by LA-based Sarajevan emigré, Naida Begeta, are exceptions. From her line Kao Pao Shu:

I haven't been shopping lately at all thanks to the economy, but when I do, I buy stuff on eBay, cheap; at designer resale stores on the 75 percent off rack, or at thrift stores.

There are only really three designers I've bought new clothes or things from, or wanted to, and the thing they have in common is that they do create actually wearable art.

The first was in New York, hat designer Amy Downs. Here I am in one of her designs, made out of the plastic mesh on cheap baseball hats and ribbon and net. I have a few of these Amy Downs "Easter bonnets," too. Unfortunately, it's really hard to convey from these photos how beautiful and clever and wonderful her hats are in person.

The next designer is Ralph Kemp, young Paris designer who was doing his own wonderful, affordable, line of sculptural clothes, but seems to have left the business -- or maybe is designing for somebody else. Great guy, as well. I'm wearing a Ralph Kemp jacket here -- polyurethaned cotton that looks and feels like leather but can be washed in a washing machine. You're missing the cool, sculptural sleeves, notched so they stand out in sort of chunky triangles on the arms. But, the jacket fits beautifully, and is beautifully cut, and I bought it on sale for maybe 120 eu.

Last night, I went to a party at Begeta's design studio in Santa Monica. My friend Laurie Pike, fashion editor of LA Magazine, wrote about Begeta's line, Kao Pao Shu a few months ago. I was so struck by the jacket in the photo that I did something I haven't done in years -- tore the page out of the magazine, and ended up sending the designer a fan letter (via e-mail), which is probably how I ended up getting invited to the party. (Parties I go to typically have people yelling at each other about politics at them.)

The designer is very un-LA, really sweet, and even admired my outfit. (I was just wearing my usual -- evening dress skirt, cropped leather jacket bought for $19.99 off eBay, huge tacky glass "gem" earrings in chartreuse and a matching scarf with a little bit of sculpture to it...how I dress every day to go out and write in a cafe, pick up the mail, etc.)

I'm working like mad on my next two books, and when I get an advance for my next one, I'm going to get one of her jackets, and one of her extraordinary ribbon-sculpture bags. Here are a few jackets on her site. Like the one Naida is wearing in the LA Mag shot, I like the ribbon'y ones that fit close to the body. In satin, especially. Yum.

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(Okay, boys, it's safe to come back to the blog.)

And no, in case you're interested, of course Gregg didn't have to go. I called him when I left the party and was walking back to my car, and he was home, falling asleep dreaming of explosions on the sun.

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