'Haute' trash makes cool clothes - video included

A very different kind of fashion show comes to The Center for the Arts Friday and Saturday. It's Haute (pronounced hot) Trash's "Evening in Paris," well described on YubaNet (On March 10, Sandi Scott) as "Haute Couture runway fashion with a touch of burlesque thrown in for the fun of it, an over-the-top stage set along with the witty commentary."

As organizer Belle Star says, they stop at nothing to build their line: "From the sides of Highway 49, back street dumpsters, the county dump, their own household garbage cans and beyond, these fashionistas have scavenged the finest debris to bring you the 2006 Haute Trash collection. A fake Christmas tree, used hair extensions, bicycle tire tubes, plastic grocery bags, pop-tops, bottle caps, used coffee filters and much, much, much more will be modeled in the most fashionable styles at this year's show." These outfits can take anywhere from a few hours to a few months to create, and finding the perfect pieces of debris can take time. For instance, designer Mariko Amekodommo has put the word out amongst her friends and colleagues that they are to save all their Emer'gen-C packets for a future creation.

And it isn't all for the fairer sex, either. John Deaderick is MC and Mikail Graham will model some "very interesting outfits," as he put it. The fourth annual show will feature 15 designers with 38 all told, even a few celebrities. Because this is a "no holds barred" show, no children are included.

Haute Trash was started 23 years ago when the late Suzanne Lamela threw down a designer suit, distraught with the shoddy craftsmanship, and exclaimed, "I could do better with trash!" And so was born a fashion show that now travels far and wide to entertain and change people's minds about stereotypical beauty.

Says organizer Star, "The designers in our amazing group have taken trash fashion to a whole new level. These forward thinkers want to empower others to rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle. Through their art and humor they will change the way you see the world. You will never look at your trash the same way again after seeing this extraordinary trash fashion extravaganza."

<I>Editor's note: Picking up on the serious side of alternative fashion, read two articles in the Jan./Feb. 2006 issue of Utne. One (on pg. 81) on ecofashion, which uses similar goals: reduce, reuse and revamp; the other (pg. 80) is about the fashion industry going green. Back issues of this magazine can be borrowed from the library or seen online at www.utne.com.<;/I>

Know and Go

<B>What:</B> Haute Trash presents "An Evening in Paris"

<B>When:</B> 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

<B>Where:</B> The Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main St., Grass Valley

<B>Admission:</B> Tickets for $20 may be purchased in downtown Nevada City at Love Shack Records, on San Juan Ridge at Mother Truckers, and in Grass Valley at BriarPatch.

<B>Information:</B> Call the Center AT 271-7000; online at http://hautetrash.org.