Couture with a twist

Sketches by Candice Sebring- Kelber of her couture gowns. Pictured from top left clockwise: Trianon, Versailles, Hameaiu, Antoinette. It will be all eyes on the runway at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, when the second annual Fashion Obsession kicks off at Estero's International Design Center, benefiting the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida.

Here's the twist that makes this glamorous fashion show especially intriguing: Models will strut one-of-a-kind couture fashions and accessories, crafted of fabrics, trims, tiles, stone and wood found in showrooms of the IDC.

Those in attendance for this 2½-hour creative extravaganza will have a chance to win door prizes, bid on silent auction items, and bid on the fashions themselves after the show. WINK-TV anchor Lois Thome is on board as guest fashion commentator. Hair and makeup for all models are being provided by Sir Daniels Salon of Naples.

Local interior designer Candice Sebring-Kelber is helping produce the Fashion Obsession event; she holds a fashion design degree and had worked in the industry prior to making interiors her career. Ms. Sebring-Kelber sketched four designs — all evening wear, her favorite — which have been transformed into lovely couture creations worthy of high-season galas.

"Having a background in textiles, and understanding draping," says Ms. Sebring-Kelber, "my thing was to get transitional fabrics that would drape nicely. She selected beautiful silks and organzas from IDC's Kravet trade showroom for her fashions, using textiles that would normally have become window treatments. While there will be some sportswear on the catwalk, most of the pieces in the show will be cocktail and evening wear.

The event's couturier is Donata Pensenti, owner of Donata's Alterations & Workroom in Naples. "Donata grew up in Italy and her background is the fashion industry in New York," explains Ms. Sebring-Kelber. "When I asked her if she would be interested, she said 'absolutely!' and she's making all the patterns, and constructing all the clothing from scratch," says Ms. Sebring-Kelber. "She had one of my dresses constructed in just under three hours; she's amazing. She's creating most everyone's outfit."

"We're doing separates and cocktail dresses and transitional business wear," says the always-busy Ms. Pensenti, whose workroom normally creates and produces everything from wedding dresses to iceskating costumes. "We've been described as a well-kept secret in Naples," she admits, while surrounded by mannequins holding works in progress. "It's a lot of fun to do this show," says Ms. Pensenti. "It's beautiful to see the outfits come together.

Francesca Copeland of the interior design firm May I Help You, Inc. is sewing the outfit borne of her own sketch. Ms. Copeland studied fashion at L'Ecole Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris and worked at none other than Christian Dior. The multi-talented Ms. Copeland was the impetus behind Ms. Sebring-Kelber's move from fashion to interior design, having preceded her in the same transition.

Showroom manager Ellen Police of Pierre Deux is also creating her own apparel. Ms. Police has designed and sewn a mid-length French toile skirt with a below-the-knee flat front, a droppedwaist yoke in a contrasting check, and featuring multi-layered ruffles with a longer and fuller skirt in the back. The Pierre Deux exclusive toile is a new pattern called "Quatre Parties du Monde - Gold" (4 corners of the world) depicting detailed historic images of life in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The toile is available in four different colorways: gold, green, blue and rose. The black and white check on the contrasting yoke, ties and welting are made of another Pierre Deux exclusive fabric called "Brindle - Black."

It shouldn't be surprising that so many interior designers can envision custom apparel, according to Ms. Sebring-Kelber, who says, "Fashions and interiors go hand in hand." In fact, design-centric readers may have noticed a very real correlation between each season's "hot" colors for both clothing and interior design. Michael Kors hardly wants his brandloyal customers to clash with the rooms in a contemporary home, and vice versa. There is a definite collaboration between industries to avoid just such a pitfall.

Donata Pensenti created the blue dress from a sketch by interior designer Tina Margrander. Guests may wish to challenge themselves to detect which runway pieces are made with IDC fabrics destined for the home. "We're also recruiting some of the retail stores at Miromar, and inserting some of their clothing into the show," says Ms. Sebring-Kelber, "so it will be a mix." There will be a "reveal" after the show's surprise finale.

Some of the interior designers will be modeling fashions of their own design, including Tina Margrander and Aniko Brittingham of Vince Muller Interior Design.

Tina Jeffers, Janice Fellows and Jackie Voelker of Focal Point Interiors have contributed designs to the show, as have ASID Allied Member Ivy Scheinholz. Licensed designer Debra George is creating various accessories using accent tile from Ann Sacks, Waterworks, and Walker Zanger, combined with wood from The Wood Floor Company. Fabrics were selected from Kravet, Webster & Company (which sells Ralph Lauren fabrics), Pierre Deux, Brunschwig & Fils, and Feraud showrooms.

Guests can expect all the thrills of a professional runway show, with elevated catwalk, a DJ playing tunes Ms. Sebring- Kelber specifically selected for the show, and, of course, the fashions themselves. No commentary will disrupt the visual spectacular of the event, according to Ms. Sebring-Kelber, who has worked on numerous fashion productions in Miami and Naples and Miami. "It's all about the clothes," she says. A live auction will immediately follow the fashion show so that attendees may bid on the apparel they've just seen.

Tickets are $45 in advance or $50 at the door, and include lunch by J.G. Webster's Restaurant and Catering Co. Proceeds will benefit Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. To make reservations, call (239) 390-8207 or RSVP via e-mail to RSVP@IDCFL.com.

ABOUT THE IDC

>>The International Design Center is Southwest Florida's premier resource for design professionals and consumers. Forty-five distinctive showrooms present a world-class collection of the finest furniture, fabrics, flooring, lighting, kitchen and bath products, art, accessories, wall coverings, and more. Design referral services and special events spaces are available. The IDC is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

>>The IDC is located at 10800 Corkscrew Road in Estero, between Naples and Fort Myers; take exit 123 from I-75. For more information about Fashion Obsession, call (239) 390-5111 or visit www.IDCFL.com.