PORT TOWNSEND — Fashion is a common form of individual expression, but the pieces that will be featured Saturday at the Wearable Art Show will not be at all commonplace.
Over six years, the annual event has showcased offbeat creative fashions including a vest made of neckties and a wire dress, along with outfits constructed of paper mache, leaves, VHS tapes and mussel shells.
“Making wearable art frees expression and creativity,” said Marla Althouse, event co-chair with Margie McDonald and Debbi Steele.
The show features 44 contestants, winnowed down from 66 applicants by a three-person jury, who inspected photographs and concept drawings.
Two shows are planned: a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7:30 evening performance, both at McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden State Park.
VIP tickets sold out months ago, but $30 to $50 tickets (depending on seating) are still available at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-wearable.
Proceeds will benefit the Jefferson County Community Foundation’s Fund for Women and Girls.
Organizers hope to raise about $50,000, Althouse said.
First-time contestant
Althouse will be a contestant for the first time this year.
“When I started thinking about what I wanted to do, I just got possessed,” she said.
“There were ideas burning in my head that kept me up at night and woke me up early in the morning.”
Althouse came up with a dress made of chopped, riveted and painted industrial cardboard rolls attached to a jumpsuit.
‘Pink Elvis’
Describing the final product, she said, “Think pink Elvis with headpiece, crown and bell-bottoms.”
Throughout the years, the event has grown from a 125-person gathering in the Elks Club to two shows in the McCurdy Pavilion.
Portions of the 1,000-seat pavilion will be roped off into a space that holds 600 in order to create a more intimate atmosphere, Althouse said.
In past years, contestants have walked through the crowd while modeling their creations.
This year will be the first test of a 55-foot runway that provides a more authentic fashion show experience.
The wearable fashions fall into two types: bright clothes that could be worn in public and “fantasticals” that allow imaginations to run free.
Youth category
New this year is a special youth category, featuring ages 9 to 18.
Third-grader Saundra Althouse, Marla Althouse’s 9-year-old daughter, is the youngest contestant and has constructed a dress made from about 100 cut-up plastic bottles.
The idea is to encourage recycling — but it was mostly not so serious, Saundra said.
“This was so much fun because I could do what I wanted to do and let my mind go free,” she said.
Marla and Saundra Althouse have spent about three hours a week since January building the dress and refining the design.
“You start with one idea that just evolves and changes,” Marla Althouse said.
A successful wearable art item is as much about presentation as design, she said.
“You can have a fantastic piece, but if the model comes out and has awkward body language or acts unsure, the piece won’t ever be seen correctly,” she said.
“So your best friend might not be your best model.”
Winners in several categories will be selected. They will earn cash awards from $250 to $1,000.
But that’s less important than the process, Marla Althouse said.
“People do this for the love of the art and for the cause,” she said.
Althouse expects the event to grow in the next few years and that it could expand to fill one or two weeks.
She envisions more workshops, such as one scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday intended to help both experienced artists and newbies to refine their wearable art ideas and skills.
The workshop costs $75 for adults and is free to students, and will take place at Key City Public Theatre, 1128 Lawrence St.
For information and reservations, call 360-385-3797.
For more information about Saturday’s event, go to www.ptwearableart.com.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
