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“Wearable Art is fashion on steroids because there are no rules,” says Designer and Clearwater City Councilwoman Lina Teixeira. “I always wanted to be a fashion designer… Creating Wearable Art and preparing for every show is euphoric for me.”
Teixeira has been a Wearable Art designer for about ten years. She was elected to serve on the Clearwater City Council in March of 2022. Always seeking balance between her roles as artist and politician, she says with conviction, “The arts are an important component of the economic viability of this city.”
Lina Teixeira, The Uncommon Couture Exhibit Pop-Up Exhibition presents Lina Teixeira’s Wearable Art creations at the Clearwater Main Library Galleries in downtown Clearwater, 100 North Osceola Avenue. The opening reception is Tuesday, September 3 from 6 to 8 pm. A Jazz Duo from the Clearwater Jazz Holiday program, Give Them a Stage, will perform live music during the reception.
made with steel frame and cake plate stands.
Model, Bianca Persechino (Teixeira’s daughter). Makeup Artist Hendricke Ewen, photographed by Leandro Gongora
Teixeira’s HipZii purses will be available for purchase, and proceeds from those sales will be donated to the Clearwater Arts Alliance. The show and reception are free and open to the public, with Teixeira’s artwork on display through September 21.
The Pop-Up Exhibition and opening reception offer opportunities to see Artist and Councilwoman Lina Teixeira’s legacy of Wearable Art interspersed with some of her fresh, new designs. You can explore the “how” and “why” of her upcycling techniques and fashion inspirations in this stunning solo exhibition.
“When I design,” explains Teixeira, “I start with a rough sketch, then I get into a zone, letting the materials speak to me. There is a very physical aspect to creating each piece of Wearable Art.”
Always seeking balance between her roles as artist and politician, Teixeira says artists and council members encourage her to be an advocate for the arts. Thinking outside the box, she contributes to strategic plans to resolve challenges and enrich the city of Clearwater.
For example, when discussing challenges related to some buildings in downtown Clearwater that have not been activated and the need for a city-wide environmental cleanup, Teixeira suggested bringing nine artists together to collect trash.
Empty store fronts were then filled with art displays creatively repurposed from the trash the artists collected. The resulting “Trash Fashion” has been a clever visual, achieving the goal to create a buzz about upcycling materials and keeping the environment clean, healthy and welcoming.
“I like to get artists and different groups together and ask them to use their talents for a common goal,” Teixeira says.
The “Trash Fashion” art was displayed at Clearwater High School, Countryside Mall, Capitol Theatre, beach hotels, empty storefronts downtown, and in the lobby of City Hall. The art was rotated throughout the city, to keep key messages in view and top of mind.
Wearable Art fans and all who visit Teixeira’s show at the Clearwater Main Library Galleries in September will experience a show built to engage everyone. Period pieces, nature, political signs, garbage bags, diversity, fantasy and beauty will be displayed.
You can learn about building a dress using coffee beans and filters or cake plate stands. Bask in the rich glamour of a gown inspired by the golden era of Elvis in Las Vegas. Enjoy the puzzles of how repurposed materials are artfully reshaped, placed and connected with fabric to give each upcycled fashion a gorgeous new life. Be prepared to be impressed.
“I want the show to be a complete surprise,” Teixeira adds. “I have a special relationship with the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, and I’ve participated in their past Wearable Art fashion shows.
“This year, I had too much going on to participate in the wearable ART 18 show. The timing was better for me to build my solo exhibition for the Clearwater Main Library Galleries in September.”
“The adrenaline rush of preparing a show is productive for me. It is an essential element in my creative process. The point of this show is to express and promote my love for the arts and for the city of Clearwater.”
Dunedin Fine Arts Center’s
wearable ART 18
Takes Art Off the Wall
and Onto the Stage
Dunedin Fine Arts Center (DFAC) presents its wearable ART 18 Fashion Show on Saturday, August 24 from 6:30 to 10:30 pm at DFAC, 1143 Michigan Blvd. in Dunedin.
This epic event is a major annual fundraiser for DFAC, and it has been a popular visual feast since the first show 17 years ago. This fashion show has been voted “Best Fashion Event” in Creative Loafing Best of the Bay polls. DFAC’s wearable ART shows delight audiences by taking the art off the wall to perform on a runway stage — bringing each fashion to life in spectacularly surprising ways.
Prepare to be mesmerized and entertained.
Be ready for anything at this imaginative fashion show in its 18th year, described by DFAC Curatorial Director Catherine Bergmann as “contagious high energy, over-the-top creations and state-of-the-art production.
“Over the years, designers have incorporated every element of theatrical drama, exuberance and magic on the catwalk. Each year is different… wearable ART is a legend. As part of DFAC’s creative DNA, we plan to present it to our community for many years to come.”
“The state-of-the-art runway show wearable ART is known for is made possible by Chuck Taylor of Production Source, Inc.” Bergmann adds. “The brilliant hair and makeup artists of Salon GW have been WA partners since the event’s inception.”
Every year, DFAC issues an online Call to Designers, and submissions by new designers are welcome. This year’s returning show favorites are Artemis & Aphrodite, Bay to Bay Collective, DemiGod, Neva the Diva and Cindy Linville. 2024 newcomers include Mark Castle, Vanessa Froehling, Jason Hackenworth, Kamysha of Iolah Soul Jewelry and Stacy Lovejoy.
Also new this year is the wearable ART Pop-Up Show entitled Jewelry Box. It will feature art, interactives and the Bada Boom Bada BLING Boutique, a vintage costume jewelry swap.
You can see burlesque ballerina Cherry Von Topp pirouette through Jewelry Box. Check out Azalea, a collaborative installation exploring Florida’s forgotten mystical places, by artists Mitzi Gordon, Joe Griffith, Kym O’Donnell and Emily Stone.
According to Bergmann, artists have shared how much they enjoy taking part in the show for its “creative collaboration, artistic support and being part of such a high quality production.”
With the addition of the Big Screen Viewing Party at DFAC during the live runway show at the Community Center adjacent to the Art Center, the fashion show viewing space has expanded. The wearable ART 18 Fashion Show is expected to welcome another full house.
You can find ticket information here.
Interwoven Fabrics and Stories
Wearable Art at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
Interwoven Legacies: Celebrating 25 Years of the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild was the inaugural Wearable Art fashion show this summer, presented on July 26 at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art (LRMA) in Tarpon Springs.
Honoring the founding President of the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild, Marlene Glickman, the Guild coordinated this event.
Stories about Marlene Glickman, who passed away in 2023, praise her enormous talent, national and international acclaim, and her generosity in sharing her artistry, knowledge and fabric art techniques with budding artists. Those stories were interwoven into the fabric and purpose of this fashion show.
“A tribute to Marlene Glickman, a master of manipulated fabrics and panels, that theme made its way into the fashion show with a lot of upcycling in fabrics and designs,” says LRMA Executive Director Christine Renc-Carter.
“It was truly amazing to see such a high level of fashion on the runway. We were at full capacity with 130 guests, who walked away learning something, beyond entertainment.
“Our Curator Sara Felice was the emcee-narrator. As each look came down the runway, she explained the techniques and materials used and how the upcycled effects were achieved.”
Guests enjoyed seeing exquisitely designed fashions with the bonus of soaking up some secret sauce for embellishing fabrics with fine art techniques of dyeing, weaving, knitting, printing, embroidery, quilting, felting, batik, screen printing, block printing, digital printing, surface embellishment, and the Japanese dyeing technique known as shibori.
Marlene Glickman also helped numerous community groups, abuse shelters and public schools through creating visual art, comfort quilts and hand-dyed silk scarves.
“Much of what we do ties the arts exhibits, programs and events back to the museum’s mission and focus for the season,” adds Director Renc-Carter. “In the fall, our focus will be architecture.”
“It takes a village to present a fashion show. Our first one was successful, and we will likely do another. The beauty of a Wearable Art fashion show is it can be whatever you want it to be.”
