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L.A. Fashion Week kicks off with Walter Collection and Naeem Khan

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Los Angeles Fashion Week’s sophomore season at the Petersen Automotive Museum kicked off Friday night with runway presentations from L.A.-based Walter Collection and New York-based Naeem Khan.

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Walter Collection

Walter Mendez’s curve-hugging confections have graced the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Beyoncé over the years, and the fall and winter 2019 Walter Collection that came down the catwalk here included plenty of celebrity-worthy pieces, explosions of pink ostrich feathers and peach-colored tulle that pulled focus with every fluttery, flouncy step.

Standout looks included a pair of jumpsuits — one a slinky sequin-covered number with ostrich-feather embellishments from shoulder to wrist, the other in crushed velvet with sharp shoulders and generously flared legs that put it solidly on trend with the silhouettes we’d seen elsewhere this season — and a couple of ombre strapless tulle gowns that went from bandage beige at the neckline to fuchsia at the floor.

Naeem Khan

Following that — and closing out the first three evenings at the Petersen venue — was a presentation of the Naeem Khan fall and winter 2019 runway collection that debuted last month during New York Fashion Week. Full of feathers, fringe and all manner of exquisite, multi-colored embroidery, the collection, which was heavy on the tops, trousers and jackets, had a definite ’70s-era rock-’n’-roll vibe to it, most notably in the striped, sequin-festooned flare-legged trousers and heavily embroidered tops with metal-embellished fringe at the waist that jingled and jangled joyfully like a handful of loose change as they came down the runway.

Memorable looks included a floor-length, gold metallic, animal-print dress — cinched with a wide gold belt — that looked like it could have stepped right off the disco floor; a bustier and slouchy velvet trouser combination paired with what appeared to be a silk-lined, velvet-trimmed dressing robe; and a heavily embroidered jacket that flared at the waist and arms in a way that keyed into the equally flared — and embellished — pants it was paired with.

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This marks the second season that L.A. Fashion Week has staged its slate of runway shows at the Petersen (the inaugural season, in October 2018, closed out with a return to the runway of hometown brand Bohemian Society), part of an ongoing partnership that was announced in August 2018.

adam.tschorn@latimes.com

For more musings on all things fashion and style, follow me at @ARTschorn

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