LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Looking Good in Lamorinda


Adrianna Papell dress available at Glamorous Boutique. Photo Moya Stone

Summertime is travel time and I kicked off the season with a visit to New Orleans, where temperatures reached the high 90s, as did the humidity. While there I checked out the fashion scene and I noticed that women's approach to beating the heat was with the classic dress. What can be cooler than a dress? Shirtwaist, column, maxi or mini, dresses keep us comfortable and up our fashion game.

Eliza Jamkochian from Glamorous Boutique in Lafayette is a big fan. "Dresses deliver comfort as well as instant chic," she says. "They are a true classic that will never go out of style." For the next few weeks dresses and everything in Glamorous Boutique is on sale for $25. Now that's a hot deal!

Speaking of dresses and heat, artist Frida Kahlo had her own stylish way of dealing with the hot weather of her native Mexico. We can take a peek at Kahlo's style at the current exhibition, "The World of Frida" at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek. This exhibit includes a series of works by artists inspired by Kahlo and photographs of her by Nickolas Muray, an Hungarian portrait photographer and close friend of Kahlo's. The World of Frida runs through Sept. 16.

Coming up later this summer is the annual American Craft Council show at Fort Mason in San Francisco, Aug. 3-5. ACC is the largest juried craft show in the country, featuring more than 250 craftspeople offering one-of-a-kind jewelry, clothing, and home decor pieces. In addition to shopping there are other fun activities including home decorating showcases and Style Slam, a regular customer favorite. Local fashion designers and stylists will shop the show and put together two ensembles each, demonstrating how to incorporate wearable art pieces into our everyday fashion.

Contra Costa fashion designer and stylist Kristen Ikeda-Jones joins Style Slam for the first time this year. She says her approach to the styling task will be to look "for top level craftsmanship along with the perfect subtle detail to set a piece apart." Many of Ikeda-Jones' clients are familiar with her styling skills. "I believe less is more but that doesn't mean you won't make an impression," she explains. While busy planning a new capsule collection for this fall, Ikeda-Jones says she's excited about the unique opportunity to work with ACC and Stye Slam. You can catch what Ikeda-Jones puts together along with the other three stylists at the ACC show on Saturday, Aug. 4. https://craftcouncil.org/shows/show-programs.

Keep it cool this summer and go forth in style.

Moya Stone is a fashion writer and blogger at www.overdressedforlife.com.