Talking Shop

One thing I love about the start of the holiday shopping season is that I get to see all my old entrepreneurial and handy friends — all the tried-and-true gift markets that I’ve grown to love, come back for another year, full of unlimited browsing potential and good buys from quality vendors I can trust.

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• Lele Knitwear
• Debi Belk
• Laura Woodward
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One of those is the Lele/Garden Girl/Jil Cappuccio Clothing Sale, which started out more than ten years ago as a fly-by-night sample sale and has since grown into an annual riot of color and homegrown style from three local designers: Debi Belk of the folkloric Lele Knitwear, Laura Woodward of Garden Girl and master seamstress Jil Cappuccio.

The sale kicks off tonight beginning at 7 p.m., when the trio offers a fashion show and early-shopping preview at Cameron Church, 1600 South Pearl Street, with champagne and bites to take the edge off the feeding frenzy. That’s the best chance you’ll have to view Lele’s gorgeous knits for adults and children, some in bright green, yellow, orange and eggplant; Cappuccio’s lined wool pullovers for men and swing coats and figure-friendly knit dresses for women; and Garden Girl’s sophisticated retro-styled cocktail dresses and housedresses for women and crinolined skirts for girls. But look for lots of purple shades, plaids and vintage fabrics, too, throughout the sale, which continues from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the church.

Admission to the fashion show, which benefits Dress for Success, is $25 in advance or $35 at the door; the sale proper is free and open to the public. For information, log on to leleinc.net/events/html or call 303-832-1493, 303-722-2900 or 303-748-2627.
Wed., Nov. 5, 7 p.m.; Thu., Nov. 6, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 2008