Ancient Alchemy
A collection entitled "Ancient Alchemy," at the Crucible's Hot Couture fashion show, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. This year's show, entitled "Alchemy & Ardor," features the creations of 11 Bay Area designers. 11 designers whose collaborative teams produced the show’s 60 new looks, on fiery runway display inside the industrial arts education center’s 47,000-square-foot West Oakland warehouse.
Universal, essential love is embodied by the work of couples team Lisa Jones and Ron Tomassini. To the deep throb of drums and chanting, ancient wisdom spoken by gods accompanies models whose jet black headgear is sharp, even glossy, but also draped in soft, matte leather.
“It’s about ancient faith,” says Jones. “Everybody, especially now with all the hate that’s going on, needs something to believe in.”
Models carry six-foot staffs fabricated by Michael Turner that send fire shooting up a copper wire to “blaze a path to enlightenment,” Jones says. “The alchemy changes, but the pearls of wisdom are the same throughout time. We need to connect and hold onto things that have always been true and that we’ve always needed: passion, joy, fire, air, faith, wisdom.”
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WIWXcxHbpk
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndrQcZokZms
Behind the Scenes:
In the Making:
