Everyday items are transformed into fashion on this ‘recycled runway’ – NBC Los Angeles

Upcycled outfits so often evoke effusive compliments, both from the people the wearer is friendly with and strangers who have to know if that belt is actually a vintage necktie or the shirt was created from old jeans.

There’s a sartorial story, in short, to every recycled item that makes its way into a fabulous, fashion-forward look.

Telling those on-trend tales has long been the panache-filled province of the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, a multi-week summer spectacular that is known for its festive flair.

That flair takes on a fashionable bent each August when the Festival Runway Fashion Show sashays into our whimsy-craving worlds.

The free-with-festival-admission event spotlights those designers who think outside the envelope by incorporating offbeat elements, including, if they’re feeling it, envelopes, into eye-catching ensembles.

Past materials seen on and in the on-display dresses, shirts, and hats include CDs, coffee filters, paper bags, bits of cardboard, and empty cans of La Croix Sparkling Water.

Eager to witness this elegant approach to reuse? The 2023 event will strut on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 20 at the Laguna Beach festival.

No separate admission is required beyond your festival entry, but if you’d like to sit in the reserved section you’ll want to secure your $30 ticket in advance.

Money raised from the fashion show helps the beloved Festival of Arts, long the creative companion to the Pageant of the Masters, which is marking its 90th anniversary in 2023.

It’s an ebullient affair, an approach that fits the fashion, and guest judges, attendees wearing their modish best, and an artsy air elevate the fun.