Farmers’ Finds : Everything From Hats to Bloomers to Brooches Are for Sale at Outdoor Markets

Attention, mall-weary shoppers! A surprising array of wearable finery--from brooches to hats to bloomers--mingles with big bunches of fresh lilacs, mounds of carrots and stacks of crispy French bread in several Southland farmers markets.

At the Hollywood Farmers Market, for instance, a woman stops at Baba Bleecher’s hat stand to try on a jaunty, beribboned straw boater ($65). Checking herself in a mirror, she muses, “I don’t know when I would wear it.”

“That’s what everyone says about our creations, but they come back and buy four more,” says the milliner’s husband, Lennie, as he fingers a polka-dotted silk “gull wing” chapeau ($135) that looks as if it would fly off the head.

One booth over, Suzan Fellman sells “peasant” tops ($28) and calf-length lace-trimmed bloomers ($32 to $35) fashioned from old damask tablecloths and fine cotton pillowcases found at antique shops, estate sales and grandmothers’ attics. The baggy garments would go well with army boots, an onlooker suggests.

Donna Fahey also believes in recycling. Her necklaces ($8 to $15), belts ($50, $75) and earrings ($15 to $30) are made of surplus industrial parts. “We call it hardware for hard times,” she quips.

At the Monrovia Farmers Market, Christine Madrid uses all manner of whimsical items in her handmade brooches ($25). They include dice, car parts (“spark plugs are best, but carburetor parts (work) if you polish them up”), pieces of old watches, flattened pennies from Disneyland, Cracker Jack charms and rhinestones.

“I spend most of my life on my knees at swap meets,” says Madrid, who always carries knee pads because “most of the good stuff is at ground level.”

Sonia Lee Pacheco, a vendor at the San Dimas Farmers Market, goes only as far as her clothes dryer to find the makings for some of her pins (about $25). She gave up selling her pieces--incorporating such elements as dyed lint, painted spaghetti and puzzle pieces--at Nordstrom for the pleasures of interacting with fellow creative types as well as customers.

“After all, this isn’t mall shopping and we don’t sell painted mugs,” says Muriel Foley, who oversees the handcarts that gather on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade next to the farmers market on Wednesdays.

There, amid the strains of a wailing sax, Kelly Burgess peddles her designs--broad-brimmed, deep-crowned sun hats that hover around the eyebrows when worn correctly. The $25 hats come in an assortment of plaids, florals and checks.

At another seaside farmers market, in Long Beach, almost two dozen stalls jostle for shoppers’ attention. Barry Shelton, by profession an aerospace engineer, seems completely at ease selling dresses “from countries around the Equator” out of a booth called West Love.

The garments, priced $45 to $70, come in colors and patterns ranging from muted and earthy to crisp and vibrant, all in natural fibers.

Shelton’s passion for his merchandise is typical among farmers market entrepreneurs. Foley says: They’re “emotionally involved” with their wares.

Where to Find Farmers Markets

The following farmers markets offer the best selection of fashions and accessories in the area:

* Hollywood Farmers Market, Ivar Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, one block west of Vine Street. Open on Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

* Long Beach Farmers Market, on the downtown Promenade between Broadway and 1st Street. Open on Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

* Monrovia Farmers Market, on Myrtle Avenue between Palm Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. Open Fridays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

* San Dimas Farmers Market, on Bonita Avenue, just west of San Dimas Avenue. Open Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

* Santa Monica Farmers Market, Arizona Avenue and 2nd Street. Open Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.