Boulder and the Beautiful

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I am super inspired by the unique color combos at the Gucci fall/winter 2011 fashion show in Milan, Italy, this week.

Forget navy and brown. Yawn. Multiple shade of purple, multiple shades of brown and red are a completely new twist on fall shades. Throw in some burnt yellow (if that is a color) and you have the perfect palette for the fall. Three seasons in advance.  

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Shop: Benjamin Ballerina, www.benjaminballerina.etsy.com,  “pretty tough clothing for kids” made only out of reclaimed, socially and environmentally responsible materials. The store sells one-of-a-kind, handmade clothing.

“With so many children’s clothing being mass-produced, it all begins to look the same,” the Web site writes.

Benjamin Ballerina’s clothes is made one piece at a time. Each fabric is hand screen-printed with original photo images based on a theme that changes bi-seasonally.

The faces behind the shop: Boulderite Maggie Evans, who has a master’s in art therapy, began designing and sewing bridal gowns, but grew interested in children’s clothes after becoming a mother herself. She partnered with Denver’s  Dylan Scholinski, an artist and founder of Sent(a)Mental Studios, which offers youth a place to explore their emotions through creativity.

Price range: $65 (for a recycled sweater hat) to $225 (for a patchwork recycled sweater vest).

Favorite items: For girls: a thrifted vintage blanket turned into a yellow and striped dress, $165. The dress is embellished with old buttons and printed with green ink. For boys: wool ’70s-style khaki and orange jacket, $155. The jacket is lined with a men’s button down shirt and collar and accented with gold buttons. The line was inspired by the Japanese aesthetic “wabi-sabi,” which honors the beauty in imperfect (and otherwise discarded) objects.

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