A nomadic lifestyle demands that you streamline. Shed anything that resists movement, whether that means possessions that are too awkward to move or quirks in your behavior that are too awkward to adapt. You learn as you go, being careful to keep values intact and yet flexible enough to adopt new perspectives. Perhaps having had a nomadic life is what gives Renata Morales her willingness to experiment. Born in Mexico City, she lived in Paris and the U.S. before moving to Canada. The variations on pleated fabrics for her spring/summer 2007 collection emphasize movement. “I’m always trying to experiment with new things and learn as I go…I had never worked with a pleater before and started trying all kinds of treatments to hopefully arrive at an exciting product in the end. Pleating in light fabrics mixed with different weights provokes beautiful movement.”

Morales s/s 2007 www.flickr.com

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Delilah Crown is a puzzle piece that fits perfectly into the larger picture of North Beach, San Francisco. Otherwise known as Little Italy and a casual home to the Beat Generation, North Beach and its tradition of eclecticism is as authentically San Franciscan as it gets. Owner of Delilah Crown and designer of the namesake label, Kristina De Pizzol, says of her shop, “I fell in love with the space. The original small paned window from the early 1900s and the fact that it was next to Danilo’s Bakery - a fixture in North Beach for 40 years - sealed the deal. I love coming in early in the morning and smelling the bread and then going up to my loft studio to work.” With an atmosphere such as this it isn’t difficult to understand why the shop and its creations are irresistible.

Delilah Crown - 524 Green St., San Francisco

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