Last year, a woman wore a shiny, bright yellow, full-length dress made from a raft. So who knows what models will sport this year, during the second-annual Fashion Spree and Green Tea fundraiser for Roseville Arts. One thing is for sure, though: All the clothes during the grand finale runway show will be made from recycled materials.
Roseville Arts, the nonprofit organization behind the Blue Line Gallery on Vernon Street, will host the event Sunday, Dec. 5, at Renesas Electronics America in Roseville. Proceeds from the eco-friendly event benefit the organization’s children and family arts programs. “I’m most excited about Haute Trash and to see the creative fashions that come out of that,” said Roseville Arts Development Director Julie Hirota. “They have a ball gown made out of floatation devices.”
Haute Trash, a Nevada City-based artist collaborative, transforms what some consider trash into wearable art. The group produces runway fashion shows and performance art featuring garments created from discarded pantyhose, mail order shipping bags, old magazines, worn maps, wine corks, plastic table cloths, tape measures and much more.
With the theme of sustainability, the fundraiser will showcase gently used clothing, tables with coordinated tea services and food provided by authentic tearooms. Green artists and vendors will sell unique recycled or up-cycled original art at Sunday’s event, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
This year, a special preview night Saturday, Dec. 4, will provide a sneak peak at the 40 decorated tea tables and the opportunity to shop the vendors before Sunday’s crowds. Roseville Arts hosts three annual fundraiser events, including the Art in the Garden tour in May, Lottery for the Arts in October, and Fashion Spree and Green Tea each December. Last year’s inaugural event raised $6,000 for the organization.
Hirota said the organization hopes to significantly increase that amount by tripling the number of seats available and upping the ticket cost from $25 last year to $40 for Roseville Arts members $50 for non-members.
“What I think is interesting is we’re trying to merge a couple different ideas,” she said. “With renewable art, we’re finding creative ways to make that more exciting.”
On Sunday, emcee Kari Hagensmith, will introduce the fashions and models — all women and young adults from the community — while guests nibble finger sandwiches, scones, desserts and fresh-brewed tea. Attendees can sample tea and food from two teahouses, including Roseville’s own A Dash of Panache.
A live auction will offer people chances to bid on unique handmade items, and some lucky raffle winners will receive baskets of goodies.
The fashion show will consist of gently used clothing and accessories provided by ReNew Boutique in Roseville. The volunteer-run shop, located just a few blocks from the Blue Line Gallery, will offer an in-store discount for all attendees immediately after the event. Proceeds from clothing sales at ReNew benefit homeless women and children in the Acres of Hope program.
Event co-chairs Kelly Peterson and Marie Brown are enthused about bringing this event back to the community. Peterson, an interior designer, owns Layers of Color, which offers decorative painting services. Brown, who owns Eco-Chic Design, said the ambitious event has been lots of work and she’s most excited for the Haute Trash runway show.
“It’s just really fun to see the creativity of it,” she said. “(Fashion Spree and Green Tea) is an awesome event to be involved with.”Brown is also going to model a Haute Trash garment to kick off the event, although she doesn’t yet know what she’ll be asked to wear. “It’s going to be a surprise,” she said, with a smile.