Pleats and Players at LAVA’s Sunday Salon

On June 27, LAVA put out a call for culturally curious Angelenos to gather in the upstairs dining room of Downtown’s historic Clifton’s Cafeteria for our fourth monthly Sunday Salon.

After scattered conversation and dining, an eager group gathered ’round Visionary A. Laura Brody as she unveiled a selection of repurposed movie industry fabric scraps and, wielding a wicked set of shears and a blazing fast stapler, commenced to craft a custom fashion creation on the graceful back of celebrity elder-blogger Barbara “Cutie” Cooper of The OGs, after which she dressed Cutie’s granddaughter Chinta in an equally original item, all while spouting witty bursts of recycling philosophy sprinkled with a lesson in historic clothing design. Next, Visionary Manny Pacheco delighted the crowd with an entertaining discussion of his new book, Forgotten Hollywood, Forgotten History, an alternate chronicle of the social changes of the 20th Century told through the lives and struggles of beloved character actors. Part two of Manny’s talk addressed his adventures in self-publishing, which he can certainly claim to be expert in, since his recently-published book has already turned a profit and will soon be joined by a sequel. Among the Visionaries spotted at Manny’s table after his talk was GHOULA founder Richard Carradine, whose grandfather John is a featured player in the book. As the Salon broke up at 2pm, many LAVA guests were seen eagerly clutching Manny’s hand-out explaining best practices for effective self-publishing.

Before and after the presentations, conversations around the room ranged widely, as Visionaries and honored guests connected over mac ‘n’ cheese, lemon meringue and shared passions. Numbers were exchanged, ideas floated, and laughs laughed in this extraordinary monthly gathering of interesting folks who care about the city, the arts and one another.

The Sunday Salon is always held on the last Sunday of the month, from noon to 2pm upstairs in Clifton’s Cafeteria at 7th & Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. Put it in your calendar, and we hope you’ll join us on July 25, for surprises soon to be announced.

And if you missed this one, here are some photos to whet your whistle, and a video of Cutie’s lightning-fast fitting.