SFBayStyle

Valentine's Day Gifts from San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design

 

The big heart holiday is just around the corner and what better way to honor your true love than with something unique.

For an assortment of the unusual, skip the mall and head straight to San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design. The museum shop offers artisan-made jewelry, accessories, and gift items of all kinds to suit all tastes. Stop by and while you're there check out the current exhibit, Designers on Jewelry: Twelve Years of Jewelry Production by Chi ha paura.

San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design, 550 Sutter St., San Francisco. Shop on-line or in the store.  

Kiss the Curves: The First Ever Plus-Size Fashion Gala

On Saturday February 6, 2010 at Historic Sweets Ballroom, Oakland will step into the runway spotlight as the city-of-choice for Kiss the Curves: The First Ever Plus-Size Fashion Gala. Highlighting some of the top plus-size designers in the fashion industry, Kiss the Curves ultimately wants to encourage positive awareness of the plus-size community as well as send the message to mainstream outlets that fashion is not limited by size.

The Gala’s Executive Producer is local actress and model, Tracie Collins. A Bay Area native, Ms. Collins attended Actors Conservatory Theater as a child. She went on to start a successful acting career, landing roles in Dreamgirls and Misery Loves Company. Eventually she set her sights on modeling, hoping to show young women a realistic image of beauty. Ms. Collins has modeled for Ashley Stewart, Mocha Bridge Magazine and Orisa Wear Fashions.

Mr. Rick's Martini Club rings in the New Year at Oakland's Lake Merritt Hotel

On Saturday January 9th close to 200 guests of Mr. Rick’s Martini Club arrived at Oakland’s Lake Merritt Hotel ready to ring in the New Year all over again. The question was – what year? The stylish crowd, donning their vintage finest, had entered a time warp and every year from 1930 to 1950 was up for celebration.

Since 1990 Laurie Gordon and Richard Fishman of Mr. Rick’s Martini Club have specialized in presenting 1930s to 1950s swing dance supper club events at various venues around the Bay Area. With themed events such as Casablanca and the Rat Pack in Las Vegas, Mr. Rick's offers attendees a chance to experience true glamour only seen in movies today.

(Photo Credit: Michele Smith)

It's A Good Idea to Vote for A Good Idea San Francisco

If charity is your game, A Good Idea San Francisco might be something you want to note. And fast! Round 2 of the Chase Community Giving campaign is in action. This program is giving the opportunity for a charity to win $1 Million to give back to the community, and A Good Idea San Francisco, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, has a good chance of winning.

A Good Idea San Francisco garnered enough Facebook votes to win $25,000 in Round 1 of the campaign, and if it keeps earning the most Facebook voters, it will win an additional $100,000 or $1 Million.

A vehicle for positive social change ideas that connect people in need with people who want to help, A Good Idea will be bringing a fully accredited residential high school for homeless teens to San Francisco called Hope Academy of Arts & Sciences (HAAS).

Help San Francisco's Good Idea & Vote Now!

Frank Lobdell Drawings at The Cantor Art Center

Fans of Bay Area Figurative artists should be sure not to miss the current exhibition of some of Frank Lobdell's drawings at The Cantor Art Center.  The sixty drawings from the 1960s' and 1970's are from Lobdell's evening drawing sessions with Dibenkorn, Bischoff and Park. The artists would get together in their studios and draw . There are also drawings from Oliveira.  The exhibit provides a glimpse into the lives, and studios of these Bay Area artists, and runs until Feb 21st at The Cantor Art Center. 

Gorgeous & Green at Five

 

Gorgeous & Green event co-chairs Zem Joaquin and Nadine Weil

The San Francisco Committee of Global Green USA hosted their fifth annual Gorgeous & Green benefit dinner and fashion show December 8th, 2009. Held this year at the W Hotel in San Francisco's SoMa district, the event celebrated Global Green's smart climate solutions just as the Copenhagen Climate Conference commenced.  

Global Green USA was founded in 1993 and is the American affiliate of President Gorbachev's Green Cross International. Their mission is to support projects that address stemming global climate change, specifically by the development of green buildings in cities around the country. Proceeds from the event went to Global Green's initiatives, including works to rebuild New Orleans with zero-energy homes, advancing the Green Schools Initiative in California and New Orleans, and launching a pilot program to recycle Starbucks cups.

Bay Area Trend -- Winter White Coats

There's a new addition to the San Francisco woman's quintessential wardrobe now that it's December. Worn over the standard skinny jeans, boots and sweaters and under the scarves are winter white coats.

These coats are a bit more high maintenance - any stain will show, so think twice before you wear them out to a bar or before eating pizza in it - but they look it, too. High maintenance, classy and upscale, in any style from a military style or pea coat  to a standard overcoat or a take on the trench (like G by Guess has done in the picture above), the fashionable women of San Fran just got a bit more fashionable.

Acme Chophouse to be Reinvented

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Acme Chophouse has always been a good fit for San Francisco. After all, it only serves naturally raised meats from organic farms and locally caught fish, doing its part to support the environment -- and California, San Francisco in particular, is a hub of green activity. 

Well, Acme Chophouse will be changing...but since the change is being brought on by Chef Traci des Jardins, chances are its environmentally conscious and hormone-free food won't.

Des Jardins is turning the chophouse into two new restaurants. You read that right: Public House, a sports bar/gastropub on one side, and Mijita, a follow-up to des Jardins' Mijita restaurant in the Ferry building.

Besides both new restaurants having drastically different menus -- Public House will have grass-fed hamburgers, crab cakes and falafel, as well as a huge selection of draft beers and cask ales; Mijita features tacos, homemade tortillas and margaritas -- they'll also both have dine-in and carry out options. Both restaurants are slated to open March 2010, so this means the first diners will be locals in the neighborhood, office workers and baseball fans. 

Winter on the Runway- Fall Fashion Event in Palo Alto, CA

If you’re looking for a fabulous fashion event in the South Bay, Aspiring couture has just the event for you. Winter on the Runway will feature the latest collections from 20 different designers.

Drink, hors d’oeuvers, and deserts from Satura Cakes will be provided to guests.  You even have a chance to enter to win prizes and Fab freebies.

The fashion experience is on December 12, 2009 3pm and 7pm at the Palo Alto Women’s club (475 Homer Ave, Palo A lot, Ca 94031).

Price:

$10 general admission

$20 VIP admission (front row, $10 gift card and more)

 

Purchase tickets at:

Online: www.aspiringcouture .com

Email: aspiringcouture@gmail.com

Phone: 408.710.0732

Top Holiday Gifts from the San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design

For those on your holiday list who desire something unique, consider a shopping trip to the fabulous museum store in the San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design. Filled to the brim with hand crafted jewelry and accessories, the museum store has something to please everyone’s particular palate.

Manager Ray McKenzie hand selects each item in the store keeping his customers’ high standards in mind. He says he finds artisans from art shows, craft fairs, and word of mouth. I asked Mr. McKenzie to share some his top Hot and Hip accessory picks for this holiday season: