ABSOLUTELY FABULATE

Fabulate- Mission District art center Creativity Explored was packed to the studio rafters for the opening of their fall fashion exhibition “Fabulate” featuring the work of over 50 artists with special needs. The ensembles, which included pieces like outerwear hand painted with celebrity portraits (Elizabeth Taylor by Christina Marie Fong, Prince by JD Green) and crafty headdresses (Kevin Roach, pictured), were first shown at a fashion show featuring both community models and artists in their own and each other’s creations. Creativity Explored board member Clair Bright said that many of the garments in the show were produced in collaboration with the City College of San Francisco Surface Design Class, a partnership since 1988. The art center is well known in the fashion world for its collaborations with brands like Commes Des Garçons, Modify Watches and Kayu, as well as home decor company CB2. “Fabulate” is on display through Nov. 15, at Creativity Explored, 3245 16th St., S.F.

Be Bold- Jay Jeffers kicked off his new book “Be Bold: Bespoke Modern Interiors” (Gibbs Smith, 27 pages, $50) with a bold, blue party at the Coup d’etat home gallery in Potrero Hill. Jeffers (right) and his partner Michael Purdy demonstrated that in life, as in interior design, they have no fear committing to a strong color story: Jeffers, in a “bold” aqua blazer by Charlotte Welch and Purdy in a custom blue wig by David Reposar. Also blue: the specially made M&Ms with Jeffers’ face.

Princess Diaries- Among the bright fashion lights of the Muslim world to attend the opening of “Contemporary Muslim Fashion” at the de Young Museum was Princess Deena Ali Al-Juhani Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (above), the first editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia and a much-followed modest fashion influencer. Between hits of her Juul e-cigarette (verboten in the galleries for commoners) the princess gave credit to, of all things, the current American political landscape for helping make the exhibition both timely and possible.

“The idea of inclusion and celebrating a culture outside of yours, especially a culture you’re afraid of, would not have happened ten years ago,” said the princess. “I think the biggest misconception historically speaking about Muslim fashion is that people assumed women dressed modestly because we were forced to do so. Hopefully this exhibition will give an insight into the idea that certain women actually prefer to dress that way.”

The exhibition is on display at the de Young through Jan. 6 and will travel to Frankfurt’s Museum Angewandte Kunst following, but the princess says her hope is for it to eventually make it to Saudi Arabia.

Michael Korcek