"Our collection has echoes from the past and when it came to naming it, the only word that kept coming back to me was 'Resonance'," said designer Ashima (above, in green) at the preview of Ashima-Leena's line for the fashion week at their store at The Crescent. The collection reflects an interesting mix of cultures from the Orient, with Central Asia and the Silk Route being the main inspiration. "While the collection presents a fusion of various cultures from the Orient, it is not jarring to the senses," said Ashima as she explained an interesting Korean kimono donned by a svelte model. The clothes in keeping with the duo's trademark style are uber-feminine, flirty with fine embroidery enlivening a bright palette of deep reds, auburns, burnished metallics, dazzling blues and mysterious greys.

'One bead at a time'

Nestled away in an upright glass case toward the back of the bountiful Appetizers exhibit in the main gallery at the Coconino Center for the Arts is "Gatsby," a delicate necklace with subtle colors, which might be missed among all its brilliantly colored artwork neighbors.Three beaded strands are fashioned with colors reminiscent of a bygone, post-World War I era -- "silk," an off-white, "olivine," a kind of khaki, and "padrascha," a watermelon-like Indian red."I had wanted to bring some more color into the necklace," explained bead artist Sharri Penland, one of the more than 100 participating artists in the 2007 Open Studios tour, celebrating its 10th anniversary next weekend.Penland said she received the vision for the necklace while falling asleep one night. The creation was also inspired by the opaque, creamy-white, vintage Swarovski crystal beads she and her partner and fellow bead artist Jerry O'Connor purchased this year at a gem show in Tucson.The annual Open Studios is the signature event of the Artists' Coalition of Flagstaff.