Culture
Designers Celeste Malvar-Stewart and Tracy Powell Bring Expert Eye to ‘Distinctly Paramount’ Docents
By: Emily Votaw
Posted on:
LANCASTER, OH – Earlier this month Columbus-based fashion designers Celeste Malvar-Stewart and Tracy Powell offered their expert insight into the nuances of the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio’s (145 East Main Street) Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume from the Paramount Pictures Archives exhibition for a gathering of the museum’s volunteer docents.
The exhibition, curated by Paramount Picture’s Costume and Prop Archive Manager Randall Thropp, features a dazzling diversity of pieces from the film studio’s archive, including works by the likes of fashion giants such as Alexander McQueen and Edith Head.
Malvar-Stewart specializes in sustainable, ethical haute-couture and interior wear. For years, the San Francisco native has sourced the sheep and alpaca fibers for her MALVAR = STEWART label not only from Ohio farmers, but also from their sheep and alpaca that she knows by name. Malvar-Stewart is also a faculty member of the Columbus College of Art and Design’s fashion design program.
Powell is a designer with interests in the avant-garde, and owner of The House of IsA. Her innovative eye for design often features unusual materials and the juxtaposition of seemingly opposing elements.
Malvar-Stewart and Powell are two of the designers who will be featured in the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio’s forthcoming fashion show, Fashion of Our Times: A Runway Show Featuring Four Ohio-Based Designers, scheduled for Saturday, September 18, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Other featured designers include Dom Susi and Xuena Pu. Admission to the event is $65 for the general public and $60 for Decorative Arts Center of Ohio members. Find more information on Fashion of Our Times, as well as other events that are coming up at the Decorative Arts Center, below. Look for an interview with the designers from WOUB Culture in September.
Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume from the Paramount Pictures Archive will be on display at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio through January 2, 2022. The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is open Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and
Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is always free.
Upcoming Events at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio
Farm to Fashion Nuno Scarf Workshop with Celeste Malvar-Stewart
Saturday, August 14, 12:30-3:00 pm
Ages 14+
$75/$68 members
Participants in this workshop will be introduced, through pictures and stories, to the various Ohio sheep and alpaca whose fiber they will use to create one of the most popular fashion accessories: a scarf. Learn the process of Nuno felting (aka laminate felting), using a silk base and textured raw fibre for surface design. Leave class having designed and hand felted your very own mini scarf with slit.
NOTE: Nuno felting is a wet felt process; participants should be prepared to get their hands wet. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes. If you have a waterproof apron, please bring it to class.
Register for Scarf Workshop
Fashion of Our Times: A Runway Show Featuring Four Ohio-Based Designers
Saturday, September 18, 11:30 am-1:00 pm
$65/$60 members
Member pre-sale begins August 4, General Admission sales begin August 18
Join us for an intimate runway show, where we will feature four leading Ohio-based designers. This dynamic show will include designs inspired by some of the Paramount film costumes in our exhibition. Join a panel discussion for the designers to share their inspiration, vision, and other behind-the-scenes details leading up to creating their collections.
Designer: Tracy Powell
Brand: House of Isa
Tracy Powell was born to play dress up, which has now evolved into her love of costume design. Her love for textiles leads her to playing with the rough and soft, the shiny and dull – and her whimsical nature reflects her avant-garde approach.
Designer: Celeste Malvar-Stewart
Brand: MALVAR = STEWART
Celeste Malvar-Stewart focuses on creating unique, sustainable and ethical pieces. She works with Ohio farmers to obtain wool and alpaca fibres from their happy animals to create couture hand-felted and minimal waste fashion, often incorporating natural dyes. Her goal is to create a connection between ourselves and what we wear as to add greater value to our clothing and extend their use, while supporting local family farms and promoting their fibres.
Designer: Dom Susi
Dom Susi is a recent graduate of Columbus College of Art and Design, who, when not working on his clothing, usually explores new trends and styles as well as rockstar memoirs. He views fashion design as the “ideal art” because he believes it adds a sense of utility that most of the fine arts fail to provide.
Designer: Xuena Pu
Brand: Xuena
Xuena Pu endeavors to create avant-garde wearable art by applying traditional Chinese textile techniques from the ancient city of Kaifeng, where her mother and grandmother taught and inspired her. Her latest work was inspired by her fascination with macramé plant hangers and includes a combination of natural fabrics and waste yarn that has been rescued from local weavers, also reflecting her concern for sustainability and mindful making.
Forensic Costuming with Betsey Potter
Saturday, October 2 or Sunday, October 3, 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Ages 14+
$30/$25 members
The restoration of vintage garments has taken on a new life -especially in Hollywood. Costume professional Betsey Potter has been at the forefront of that movement and will be sharing some of her techniques as well as reflecting on her experiences with vintage costumes and fabrics. The presentation will examine the skills needed for handling, cleaning, and displaying vintage pieces. She will be discussing the fabrics needed for restoration and where they can be found. In essence, participants will get a lesson in what to do and not do with your vintage clothing.
Register for Saturday
Headband Workshop with Xuena Pu
Sunday, October 17, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Ages 14+
$45/$40 members
Fashion designer Xuena Pu instructs learners on the hottest fashion trend, crochet and macramé clothing and accessories. This beginners’ class will teach participants the basics of crochet and macramé in a fun and supportive environment. All participants will learn to crochet their own headband using their new skills.
Register for Headband Workshop
Of Stanzas and Stilettos
Sunday, October 17, 2 p.m.
$5/$8 members in advance, $10 at the door
Join award-winning Columbus poet Rikki Santer for a reading from her newest collection of poems, Head to Toe of It, which explores the complicated notions of fashion. Thomas McClure, Founder & Executive Director, Columbus Fashion Council & Fashion Week Columbus wrote about it: Rikki Santer completely gives the complex world of fashion a new perspective…her wordsmithery builds a showroom in your head and lets fashion come to life…in surprising and validating ways.
Register for Of Stanzas and Stilettos
Holiday Nuno Scarf Workshop with Celeste Malvar-Stewart
Saturday, November 6, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Ages 14+
$75/$68 members
Participants in this workshop will be introduced, through pictures and stories, to the various Ohio sheep and alpaca whose fibre they will use to create one of the most popular fashion accessories: a scarf. Learn the process of Nuno felting (aka laminate felting), using a silk base and textured raw fibre for surface design. Leave class having designed and hand felted your very own mini scarf with slit. Perfect for a holiday gift!
NOTE: Nuno felting is a wet felt process; participants should be prepared to get their hands wet. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes. If you have a waterproof apron, please bring it to class.
Register for Holiday Scarf Workshop