Ready to Wear

Nearly 50 area designers reveal their winter clothing lines at today's Wearable Art Fashion Show & Boutique. It begins with a bazaar of handmade jackets, hats, and jewelry by Nagada, Three Goddesses, and others. Shoppers can then enjoy lunch while Ursuline College students work the catwalk in some of the season's new fashions. "I just look at all these pieces and think, 'I wish I had some money, because there are so many I like,'" says Katherine Dunlevey, president of the Textile Art Alliance at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which organized the event. "The objective is to buy one-of-a-kind clothing that has a statement that each artist wants to make."

Dunlevey hopes the show will steer local clotheshorses away from the mall racks. "Some people think wearable art puts it over the top," she says. "That's not the case. They're beautifully designed pieces that can be worn anywhere." But hang on to your pocketbook: Prices range from $15 (for a small handbag) to $2,500 (for a floor-length evening gown). But Dunlevey says the expense is worth it. "I want to make a statement with what I'm wearing, so that people know a bit about me," she says. "I could put on a plain, ordinary sweater and look like everyone else. Or I can put on something special, and people realize that I care about what I wear."
Sun., Oct. 22, 11 a.m.