Los Angeles Fashion Week: Sue Wong stages a siren spectacular
The advance tip sheet for Sue Wong’s Wednesday night kickoff of the Style Fashion Week slate of shows and presentations in downtown L.A. billed it as a “mega runway show” and, in this case, it was not an exercise in hyperbole.
With a running time of more than half an hour (not including the pre-show presentation to Wong of a “lifetime achievement award” quixotically bestowed by the duo of musician Dave Navarro and actor Vincent De Paul), the catwalk collection included eight themed groupings and some 76 looks in all. (By way of comparison, most runway shows run somewhere in the seven- to 10-minute range.)
Given that the first look didn’t hit the runway until a good hour and a half after the show was scheduled to start, it made for a long night, but thanks to the range of over-the-top, out-of-this-world, exquisitely embellished, incredibly detailed dresses -- catwalk confections that ranged from silky sheaths to multitiered organza capes, the audience hardly seemed to care.
The Inspiration: In the notes accompanying in the show, Wong explained that her spring and summer 2015 “Fairies and Sirens” collection was “a study in contrasts inspired by the dual archetypes of the poetic, ethereal, magical fairy and the hauntingly seductive, beguiling, vampish siren.” (According to the notes, sirens are “fallen” fairies. Who knew?)
The Look: Acres of embroidered silk, layered lace and a bounty of beadwork in designs that evoked -- depending on the grouping -- all manner of flora, flying fauna (butterflies and birds mostly) or fish.
Most of the pieces that came down the catwalk were variations on the L.A.-based designer’s signature style -- strapless Art Deco cocktail numbers, sheath dresses, diaphanous gowns and the like with various levels of embellishment -- but she managed to cover some new ground too.
One of the most unique-looking pieces was a white skirt that, from a distance, looked like a fish-scale or flower-petal pattern but upon closer examination turned out to be careful three-dimensional triangular folds of fabric that added an interesting volume element.
Many looks in the show were accessorized by equally eye-catching (if not more so) headdresses and crowns, ranging in size from low-profile tiaras to feathered fascinators to bovine-appropriate horns, towering sprays of flowers. (Wong designed some of the headgear, other pieces were credited to Kicka Custom Design, Lisa Marinucci, Miss G Designs and Fiori Couture.)
Headpieces that stood head and shoulders above the rest included a huge white headdress that resembled a giant sea anemone, fuzzy fingers and tendrils undulating with each step, a bold pair of Minotaur horns dripping in silver chain detail, and a halo of pleated golden fans that must have added a good 2 feet to the model’s height.
The Scene: Wong’s fairy and siren spectacular felt like the perfect high-energy, high-profile show to kick off Style Fashion Week’s five-day run in a tented space outside the Reef building downtown (a last-minute venue change from the event deck at L.A. Live).
Apart from Navarro, we didn’t spot any of the celebrities rumored to be attending -- save “America’s Next Top Model” runway coach J. Alexander who turned up with an entire ANTM crew. We’re guessing that means Wong’s show -- or some part thereof -- may well appear in a future episode of that CW reality TV show.
The Verdict: Overly long and such an over-the-top exercise in fashion theater that we half expected a “Zoolander” cameo, “ yes, but by the runway finale, there was no doubt where Sue Wong’s considerable skill lies. It’s in being able to craft dresses (and headdresses!) that manage to both hearken to Old Hollywood glamour and satisfy the just-gotta-be-me demands of Generation Selfie.
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