Fabrics

Students in the costume design program at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts have become some of the first in the country to create their own textile designs. The school’s new wide- format digital printers allow students to use graphic design software to create new patterns, which can be applied to materials like silk and nylon. The printers will allow the costume design students to recreate vintage designs that were found on fabrics from past eras, rather than scrounging for extant fabrics or creating poor duplicates using paper-format printers, program head Poe Durbin said in a release.

Marisa O'Neil Vintage floral-print fabrics, jacquards, silks and rayon meant to inspire fashion designers may now be sitting in a dark alley, abandoned by unwitting thieves, a Newport Beach woman worries. Rise Taylor left thousands of the textile swatches in her car parked overnight in a carport behind her home on April 14, in preparation for an appointment early the next morning. When she awoke, she discovered that someone had smashed a window of her car, swiping about 1,500 irreplaceable pieces of fabric.

Romantic frocks, sexy sophistication, textured fabrics and glamour, glamour, glamour are key for fall. Romance is returning full force with subtly colored blouses in fragile, sheer fabrics embellished with lace and delicate embroidery. Slinky bias-cut slip dresses and lively flapper-style dresses are also reappearing to give a bit of Hollywood glamour from decades past. The style is reminiscent of Jean Harlow's heyday on the silver screen. Gucci has charmeuse slip dresses destined to become modern classics while Chanel is offering Jazz Age swingy dresses adorned with fringe and attitude.

If you are ever in need of custom men's clothing, stop by The Custom Shop in the west wing of South Coast Plaza. Once you've had a custom shirt, jacket or pants made there, you'll appreciate the excellent service and care the store provides. Also, customers receive specials from time to time on custom apparel. Another great feature of the store is that there are no minimum shirt purchases and no extra size-related charges on shirts. And there are no long waits for deliveries.

Are you ready to kick off the holiday shopping season? You can get a start at the Christmas Company shopping extravaganza happening through Sunday at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. The signature fundraiser of the Junior League of Orange County celebrates its 33rd anniversary with the theme “A Holiday to Remember.” Shop from more than 120 exhibitors and vendors. You can attend an Evening of Food & Wine ($75) from 6 to 10 tonight. At the Christmas Company you’ll find everything from women’s fashions to children’s clothing and books, home decor, gardening items and gourmet foods, as well as holiday decor.

Jasmine Lee ONE-STOP EAT AND GROCERY SHOP Perhaps the next-best thing to having a gourmet chef in your kitchen is having a culinary professional help while you shop for dinner. Chef Massimo, who creates delectable delights for Amici Trattoria in Costa Mesa, now also doles out cooking tips to customers of the restaurant's new addition, Amici Caffe. The grand opening will be on March 20. Because shopping should never be done on an empty stomach, the Caffe offers the ingredients needed to fix an Italian meal and a menu of eat-in or to-go cuisine.

The Used Camera Store is a great find for all photography equipment. Owner David Moore is very particular about the quality of the equipment he sells. "I don't sell anything that looks used," says Moore. "And we don't buy anything as is. It has to be in perfect condition." The store carries a large array of cameras, lenses and accessories, including Nikon, Minolta, Leica, Contax, medium format cameras and rare cameras. Photographers ranging from students to professionals love the selection.

The 2003 Philharmonic House of Design will open its doors to the public from May 6 through June 1, 2003. Chelsea Manor, the quintessential English country house will showcase the latest in design trends and techniques in this two-acre estate in the equestrian community of Orange Park Acres. This 8,000-square-foot residence with six bedrooms, seven baths and a fabulous 1,650-square-foot game room will be transformed by 19 talented designers and three design students from FIDM, Interior Designers Institute and Saddleback College.

One of my favorite L.A. haunts is South La Brea Avenue. Good shopping and good eating: it's an awesome combo. Add a couple of friends to the adventure, and you have my idea of a great day. The store I never miss is the Silk Trading Company. It has beautiful fabrics in every color and pattern imaginable. It has hardware and furniture, but the best part about the Silk Trading Company is the drapery out of a box. Pre-made silk drapery panels that would quench any thirst for instant gratification.

Hasn’t everyone? For me, journeys of forgiveness begin with choosing non-retaliation, traveling through prayer and understanding, and, ideally, arriving at compassion; the process moves from hostility to hospitality. If I embrace the joy of God’s creativity in place of my own hurt and weakness, then God’s love can make me strong and rich and able to give and forgive. Forgiveness from the heart and mind is difficult, but once done what is shared is the laughter of God. The Very Rev. Canon Peter D. Haynes St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church of Corona del Mar How can one not struggle with forgiveness?

Students in the costume design program at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts have become some of the first in the country to create their own textile designs. The school’s new wide- format digital printers allow students to use graphic design software to create new patterns, which can be applied to materials like silk and nylon. The printers will allow the costume design students to recreate vintage designs that were found on fabrics from past eras, rather than scrounging for extant fabrics or creating poor duplicates using paper-format printers, program head Poe Durbin said in a release.

Are you ready to kick off the holiday shopping season? You can get a start at the Christmas Company shopping extravaganza happening through Sunday at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. The signature fundraiser of the Junior League of Orange County celebrates its 33rd anniversary with the theme “A Holiday to Remember.” Shop from more than 120 exhibitors and vendors. You can attend an Evening of Food & Wine ($75) from 6 to 10 tonight. At the Christmas Company you’ll find everything from women’s fashions to children’s clothing and books, home decor, gardening items and gourmet foods, as well as holiday decor.

Most people know that mixing black cotton and bleach leads to disastrous results. Artist Will Koffman decided to make that combination work for, not against, him. His art exhibit, “Bleach on the Brain,” will be on display in Costa Mesa at the Holiday Salon, 369 E. 17th St., No. 5, through January. After accidentally splattering a pair of jeans with bleach in the wash last year, Koffman decided the effect would enable him to explore another medium in his artwork.

By painting a mural depicting a soaring eagle next to New York's Twin Towers, students at Burbank's Community Day school had a chance to show not only pride in their country but pride in their own accomplishments and creative work. The mix of high school and junior high students spentlast week painting the images underneath the words "never forget" onto a large white king-size sheet that will be a portable mural for the school as part of Patriot Day, declared by President Bush to honor the victims of the Sept.

Marisa O'Neil Vintage floral-print fabrics, jacquards, silks and rayon meant to inspire fashion designers may now be sitting in a dark alley, abandoned by unwitting thieves, a Newport Beach woman worries. Rise Taylor left thousands of the textile swatches in her car parked overnight in a carport behind her home on April 14, in preparation for an appointment early the next morning. When she awoke, she discovered that someone had smashed a window of her car, swiping about 1,500 irreplaceable pieces of fabric.

Jeff Benson Scissors snip and sewing machines surge around the clock. Every night, the inside of Nancy Ervin's Newport Beach home looks and sounds more like a textile factory. But it's not an army of seamstresses haphazardly dropping loads of scraps on the floor and creating a ruckus, carrying on until midnight. There's simply work to be done for Ervin's daughter, Nicole, and her daughter's friend, Megan Toman. In July, the 15-year-old incoming Newport Harbor High School sophomores discovered how much fun sewing could be. Now, the two self-employed volunteers are only six blankets short of their goal of 20, which they will personally deliver to a children's organization, Nicole said.

GREER WYLDER At Ansari Fabrix, Nasrin Ansari is a local designer who buys the same couture fabrics that Christian Lacroix, Christian Dior, Valentino and Emanuel Ungaro use in their collections. Monday through Wednesday, all designer fabrics will be reduced 40% to 75%. The incredible selection includes hand-painted silk chiffons, beaded French laces, printed jerseys and the latest of Chanel boucles. "We have the latest evening, as well as casual apparel fabrics used in designer runway shows," Ansari said.

GREER WYLDER The Territory Ahead just opened at South Coast Plaza. It's a Santa Barbara-based clothing company known for its outdoorsy designs for men and women. The look ranges from casual to urban styles, in rich colors in trademark fabrics. Originally, Territory Ahead was an award-winning catalog that journeyed each season to far-away locations shooting dramatic photographs that complimented its clothing line. Now its new retail store incorporates props and seasonal photos from the catalog's current location.