Tais Elyse Designer. Stylist. Shopper

New Yorkers have the Brooklyn Flea. Los Angelenos go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market. And now, San Francisco residents finally have the Treasure Island Flea Market where they can support green causes and scratch their sleuthing-for-gold itch at the same time. This past Saturday, the stormy skies and rain didn’t deter buyers from flocking to the usually deserted island. Like any other flea market, you definitely had to dig for items worthy to be reused and repurposed; but there were some true gems buried among the bric-a-brac. Some of the wares that I wished I had carried off include: succulents and flowers planted into logs; a cabinet painted in primary colors; a gold rotary dial phone; an entire rack of vintage dresses circa 1950s – 1970s from King’s Vintage ; and antique Miaoan tribal jewelry. (Check out our Facebook page for more pictures of the flea market!)

The Treasure Island Flea also complemented the exhausting “digging” experience with food from local purveyors, including arepas from Pica Pica Maize Kitchen and Pizza Politana made in a portable clay oven (only in the food-obsessed Bay Area). And Harvey Donuts supplied the fried dough that is usually to be had at outdoor fairs.

The Treasure Island Flea might happen only on the last weekend of every month, but you don’t have to wait until the end of June to discover new products, score an antique watch, or hunt for the perfect chair that your living room desperately needs. Here are four upcoming events where you are bound to find special pieces calling for a second life.

1. Palo Alto Citywide Yard Sale, Saturday, June 4, 8am-2pm, Palo Alto

Head down to the Peninsula for Palo Alto’s citywide yard sale, where over 300 residents will be hawking both vintage wares and handmade artisanal products. In the past, the items have run the gamut from Turkish tribal rugs to Civil War-era bed to hand-milled soaps. You might strike gold as well as help a good cause: the sale is put on biennially to reduce waste and keep castoffs out of landfills.

 2. decadesTwo.1! Pop-Up Shop, June 4, 10am – 7pm, Fort Mason’s Firehouse

Speaking of old gold, the L.A. –based designer consignment shop, decadesTwo.1 is coming back to San Francisco for an one-day sale. Expect both vintage and contemporary luxury clothing and accessories sourced from the closets of Hollywood’s elite or couture clothing collectors. The designer goodies will be priced at 80% off the retail price.

3. SF Indie Mart, June 6th, 12pm-6pm, 3 Parkside in Potrero Area, SF

Imagine - Over 100 vendors bringing you the best makers, designers, vintage, handmade unique goodies, art, baked treats and much more. Tons of interactive vendors offering customization or showing you how it's made. Besides our usual standby's on stiff drinks, cheap beers & fresh BBQ food from thee Parkside...we've also got a giant demo station brought to you by our lil DIY spot, Workshop (www.workshopsf.org) that'll feature demos every hour, on the hour. 

And Get Ready for Next Week!

Tais Elyse Trunk Show, Saturday, June 11, 12-5pm, Open House at The Ellington, Jack London Sq, Oakland

Champagne, Wine, Snacks....and of course...FASHION! The trunk show will feature vintage dresses reworked with modern details by Tyese Cooper well as other apparel, jewelry and hat by other local designers such as Josie Adele, Silver Lucy, Tamo Hulva and Rachel Riggin.

Last week, the highly anticipated Academy of Art University Spring Fashion Show held in SOMA was packed to the gills with industry insiders and fashion enthusiasts eager to see the collections by fashion’s next designer rock stars. The show featured 16 collections by 22 graduating design students, most of whom concentrated on women’s wear. The women’s wear collections exhibited experimentation with colors, patterns, and materials, most notably with plastic. (See Margaret Yoah’s printed latex jackets that resembled shower curtains, but managed to look fantastic on the models anyway. Or Drew Williams’ silicone garments, which amazingly enough never degenerated into the kitschy, costume ‘60s look.)

 Meanwhile, the men’s wear was far less novel: the collections focused on updating everyday wear with luxe fabrics. Perhaps it was this contrast between the brashness of the women’s wear and the timidness of the men’s wear, but I couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed by the latter. Don’t get me wrong; I definitely wouldn’t complain if the guys in my life were to dress in the suave, sophisticated clothes featured on this year’s runway. But when the AAU fashion show is an opportunity for aesthetic exploration, the men’s pieces were not as boundary-pushing nor as progressive as I hoped they would be. None of the men’s pieces were bold enough to provoke collective gasps from the audience. Neither did the men’s wear collections even dare to venture into the territory of iffy trends or questionable design like the women’s wear, which proved that something that could not possibly look good could actually end up looking very good.

But with that being said, it is a rule of thumb among male fashion gurus that men’s style at its best is non-fussy and practical. So is it possible for men’s wear to be outlandish and stylish at the same time? Read on for reviews and pictures of each of the men’s wear collections and tell us what do you think in the comments – are the men’s wear to your taste? Or are they a tad boring?   

Ashley Jung
Jung’s inspiration consisted of a jumble of sources and influences that didn’t seem to come through the clothes. However, her collection was full of updated, expertly tailored versions of men’s classic outerwear, including a sleeveless leather moto jacket, gray suede trench, cropped trench, and a color-block suit. The most inspired look of the collection was a summery color-block jacket and t-shirt duo: a cropped mint jacket layered over a lime-green t-shirt and a low-slung turquoise vest.  

Fayrouz Abi Assi
Assi’s inspiration, the American Depression and Arab desert dwellers, portended utilitarian clothing designed to survive bleak conditions, but the collection managed to marry a sense of luxury to her vision. Each piece and each overall look was a mosaic of textues and rich fabrics, elevating the boxy silhouettes and monochromatic camel or gray schemes. The standouts of the collection included a chocolate-brown suede vest layered over a quilted gray shirt; a workingman’s vest with quilted leather shoulders, smooth leather pockets, and tweed; and a tailored wool coat with a large collar unfolded to reveal a tweed lining.  

Stephanie Duarte (Men’s Wear Design), Baron A. Davis (Knitwear), Christina Monic Chavez (Fine Art Sculpture)
This vagabond-inspired collection could have easily descended into “homeless chic” with its dark color palette, shredded sweaters, and disheveled silhouettes. Thankfully, it didn’t. But with that being said, the collection was generally forgettable because Christina Monic Chavez’s braided rubber murses stole all of my attention. The translucent caramel-hued clutches, cross-body bags, and bucket bags reified my belief that men can have fashionable bags for things like, you know, that iPhone bulging out of the pocket of your slim-fit pants.
 

All pictures courtesy of Angel Cintron. 

FIRST, 

A Recap of Our Sample Sale Last Friday.

Party goers flocked to our sample sale for a touch of spring cleaning. And cleaning they did: people cleaned out Our Cuban Kitchen’s chicken fricassee as well as the designer samples in the loft. Shoppers were given a chance to become acquainted with local indie designers they would not have known otherwise. In a time when runway-emulating, uber-trendy mass retailers like H&M and Zara dominate the mid-price clothing market, it was refreshing to look through Josie Adele’s non-trendy jewelry, Silver's body-transforming jumpsuits or Jasmin Zorlu’s unapologetically outlandish, sculptural headpieces at the party. The sample sale and party was a reminder that supporting local designers is not only an ethical cause, but also a way to broaden one’s personal style beyond mainstream tastes. Though San Francisco gets a lot of flak for being a sartorial laggard in comparison to other fashion-forward cities, there is definitely no shortage of talented indie designers.

 Here are three upcoming events that will allow you to support local designers and get you in the mood for springtime dressing.

1. Tais Elyse Style Lab at Citizen Clothing, Thursday, April 28, 5-7 pm, free
Join us for happy hour nibbles and personal style consultations with Tyese and then shop for some spring threads at Citizen Clothing in the Castro. "5 Essential Spring Must-Haves to Stand Out"

2. Benny Gold Grand Opening at Benny Gold, Saturday, April 30, 11am-7pm, free
The skatewear shop (and purveyor of selvedge denim) will celebrate the opening of its larger Mission location with drinks and the debut of its spring collection.

3. Capsule Design Street Festival at Hayes Valley Park, Sunday, May 1, 11:00am – 6pm, free
There is a good chance that festival attendees will find something to spruce up their spring wardrobe among wares that will be hawked by 130 local designers.