Wearable Art Blog

The Ruffled Clothing of Cari Borja

Playful and vivacious are two words that come to mind when thinking about the designs of clothing designer Cari Borja, who got inspired about fashion while working on her anthropology and film Ph.D. thesis in Jamaica. "One of my favorite things is to cascade ruffles off of other ruffles until they look like rushing water." Borja believes clothes should have inherent drama and create a silhouette that flatters women by elongating the figure. Her unique pieces, made in her West Oakland, California studio, are made by special order and sold in trunkshows around the country.

Fiber Necklaces from Anna King

Words and text fascinate Anna King, a Scottish fiber artist who makes necklaces out of paper, silk, nylon and even plastic. Underlying all of King's work is her fascination with words and text which from which she derives much of her inspiration. The 'words' are often taken from journals and diaries that King has kept for many years and then hidden in her pieces (she also creates baskets and other sculpural objects). King's work is now on display at Velvet da Vinci Gallery in San Francisco where King is giving a lecture at 6:00 p.m. this Saturday evening.

Recycled Glass Jewelry

Check this out! A necklace made from a genuine recycled Coca-Cola bottle. The earrings are made from recycled glass, too. You can buy both one-of-a-kind originals at ecoist. Ecoist partners with artists and designers to develop eco-friendly fashion accessories. The artist who designed these pieces is Kathleen Plate, who designs and makes recycled glass jewelry at Smart Glass Recycled Jewelry in Georgia. Recycled is the rage! What do you think about the concept of recycled jewelry?

Handbags and Necklaces at Artworks Jewelry

You can find reasonably priced handmade jewelry and handbags at Artworks Jewelry. Here are two of the artisan-made items featured on the site that caught my eye. This Satchel, made with a brown leather strap, has a lined interior with cell phone pocket for your convenience. Dress up the Satchel with this 3-strand olive turquoise and copper pearl necklace. What kind of wearable art do you buy at online stores? Please let me know.

Stone Jewelry by Fen Kaplow

Fen Kaplow is an artist who was inspired to create beaded jewelry while on a road trip with her daughter in New Mexico. Delighted by trade beads she found in a store window, she bought them on a whim and immediately began beading while her daughter drove to their next destination. Since then, Fen has been creating dramatic jewelry mixing unusual stones and metals together. These necklaces are made out of cherry quartz (left) and coral (right) and are mixed with silver and glass beads. If you're interested in having Fen custom design a piece for you, please send me an email at the wearableartblog@gmail.com.