.Buy Curious: Night Shopping & the Skinny Model Ban

This week, Buy Curious digs up more fantastic sales for the benefit of our dear readers. We’ve got night shopping at Art Murmur, a guide to independent shopping in California, the low-down on antiques in the East Bay, and a review of last weekend’s insane White Elephant Sale. Plus, our new Fashanalysis column muses on the skinny model ban and gives props to a UC Berkeley alum making waves in the fashion world. It’s Buy Curious!

SHOP TALK Night Shopping for Scenesters Yes, folks, it’s the first Friday of the month, which means that tonight Art Murmur is once again tearing up Oakland. You may think that all the eleven participating galleries have to offer up is artwork, but don’t be fooled�pull on crafty clothes at Rock, Paper, Scissors Collective, peruse smarty-pants fine-art books at Rowan Morrison, and, if you’re single, it’s not a bad place to pick up a hipster date for Valentine’s Day. (And believe us, it’s true�artists are hella romantic.) See the Oakland Art Murmur Web site for details.

Boost Your Shopping Smarts Stop by Afterglow to score a copy of The Guide to Independent California Shopping, compiled by shop owner Amy Cools. (It’s a mere $1!) While you’re there, save from ten or 25 percent on all dresses (a sale that lasts through the end of the month). Added bonus: If you hit the store tonight from 7:30-11 p.m. you’ll be invited to sip wine on the house�as an offshoot of Art Murmur, Cools is hosting a reception for artist Franz Keller, whose pop art will adorn the walls. Store Hours: Wed.-Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun. 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Where: Afterglow, 4233 Telegraph Ave., Oakland

Need Exercise? Looking for Antiques? It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means antique dealers and bargain hunters will be prowling for furniture, clothes, telephones, paintings, housewares, and everything in between, at the monthly Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire. Whether you’re looking to bid on items from the estate auction, or just browse the seemingly unending aisles while munching on kettle corn (you won’t be able to resist the smell), this all-day event is something every shopper must experience. When: Sun., Feb. 4, 6 a.m.-3 p.m. ($5-$15, depending on how early you get there) Where: Alameda Point Naval Air Station in Alameda

Shoe Bonanza

Twenty-Two Shoes is slashing their prices again, offering up to 75 percent off Fall/Winter 2006 styles. Check out flats by Loeffler Randall, styles from their own line, handbags by Sequoia of Paris, and more. Plus, free parking behind the store. Store Hours: Sun.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri. & Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Where: 5856 College Ave., Oakland

Kill Two Birds with One, uh, Credit Card Granted, that’s not the slickest headline in the world. What we mean to say is this: shop at the Sample Angel Sale at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco’s Fillmore district Saturday and not only will you walk away with bargain frocks aplenty by the likes of Mint, Anna Sui, and dozens of other designer labels, but twenty percent of your hard-earned cash will go to On Lok, a non-profit benefiting local senior citizens. There will even be�gasp!�stuff for guys. (Just don’t buy him a sweater for V-Day, even if it does match his eyes�there’s nothing less romantic than attempting to disguise your effort to try to make him dress better as a gift.)

When: Sat., Feb. 3, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Where: Boom Boom Room, 1601 Fillmore St., SF, (415) 751-5457, ext. 2.

It’s a Jungle Out There Special thanks to the Oakland Museum’s Oona Johnson for letting Buy Curious crash last weekend’s White Elephant Preview Sale. As WES virgins, we were overwhelmed by the diversity of this monstrous sale, not to mention the insane crowds! We managed to pick up some cute dresses for $2 despite the frenzy in the women’s vintage clothing section. However, the best finds were found in the fabric department. We snagged some amazing old batik and African print fabric for as cheap as $1.50! In case you missed it, the two-day public sale happens Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4. Tip: Take public transportation, bring plenty of cash, and wear comfortable shoes!

When: Sat. & Sun. March 3 (9 a.m.-4p.m.) & 4 (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) Where: 333 Lancaster St., Oakland

Is it Spring Yet? Dreams of Spring and wearing frilly frocks again must have psychically connected us back to one our favorite lines, Mon Petit Oiseau. The LA-based British designer channels the sweet-but-sexy French girl sophistication to a tee. Walnut Creek boutique Samantha Lee carries the line, but is closed till mid-February for renovation. Boo!

Where: Samantha Lee, 1378 N. Main St., Walnut Creek, (925) 938-7267

FASHANALYSIS: STYLE NEWS & VIEWS The Uber-Skinny Model Syndrome: America Finally Weighs In New York’s celebrated fashion week, featuring designers’ Fall 2007 lines, kicks off today, so we thought a bit of national fashion news was in order. After much international hoopla over runway models being too skinny, American fashion dictators have finally weighed in. Spain and Italy have barred models with a BMI less than 18.5 (think someone who’s 5’9″ and weighs 125 lbs) from skulking down the catwalks. Not to be outdone, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, led by reigning queen Diane Von Furstenberg, has issued the following, quite stringent, proclamations:

    *Yo, all you anorexic and bulimic models: Get some goddamn help! *If you’re under 16, lie about it so that we can continue to push you down runways around the clock. *No more swilling champagne and blowing smoke rings backstage�dump the bubbly into a water bottle and light up in the bathroom.

One has to question how Von Furstenberg, whose wrap dresses are designed to flatter curves, not skeletal frames, wouldn’t benefit if larger models are forced onto the runways.

U.S. politicians are already becoming entangled in the issue�a councilwoman in Manhattan announced yesterday that she will introduce a bill that would kick too-skinny models to the curb. Our thoughts on the issue? Good idea…but good luck getting it passed!

And One of Fashion Week’s Most Anticipated Designers Owes It All to …UC Berkeley? And now, a round of applause for Cal alum Erin Fetherston, who is one of five designers to snag $25,000 from the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation in its 2007 competition, ensuring her a prime spot in this week’s line-up. (Past winners have included the likes of Zac Posen and Proenza Schouler.) Fetherston never learned to sew at Cal (is learning such a thing there even possible?)�it wasn’t until moving to Paris after her 2002 graduation to enroll at Parsons that she picked up that handy skill, according to an interview she gave Vogue last year. Take a peak at a video and pics featuring her Spring 2007 line. And check out this bizzarro-cool video of Kirsten Dunst and a flock of models flitting about in Fetherston’s frothy signature concoctions from her fall 2006 collection.

If you ever want to stop by the Express to talk shop, Erin, cocktails at Kitty’s are on us…

Every Friday, Buy Curious posts photos of the fashion fabulous of the East Bay, as well as news on store openings, closings, new items, and sales. We want to hear from you! Tips? Send them to us! � Lauren Gard and Kathleen Richards

Back to 92510, the East Bay Express news blog.

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