Fall Fashion: A Bicoastal Blitz : California Designers Show Here and, in Break With Tradition, in the Big Apple; Suits Reign
In a bold move that challenges an outmoded stereotype, five Los Angeles designers showed their fall fashion collections in Manhattan Tuesday, right along with the biggest names from Seventh Avenue. Rosemary Brantley, Mark Eisen, Karl Logan, Antony Moorcroft and Glenn Williams sent their styles down the runway at the Manhattan Theatre Center, just days after most Los Angeles designers showed their fall collections in California.
“I wanted to include California designs that the New York fashion press would take seriously,” said Joie Davidow, editor-in-chief of L.A. Style magazine, which sponsored the show featuring tailored sportswear. “In New York they still think of Los Angeles as a place to buy fun dresses, but not suits, jackets or tailored pants. I hope to wake up the members of the Eastern fashion press who don’t even know that L.A. designers have fall collections.”
Until recently, there was reason to wonder. The city’s cutting-edge designers built their reputation on lightweight, unconstructed clothes better suited to Sunbelt climates. They left heavy fabrics and precision tailoring to the East, and put their strongest efforts into spring collections, since that was what store buyers and the national fashion press expected of them. This first effort gets mixed reviews. While the designers proved they can make clothes to withstand East Coast winters, they betrayed their contemporary roots with styles much less sophisticated than those of the New York designers.
Rosemary Brantley made the strongest presentation. She showed easy-cut trousers, swing jackets and ankle-length pleated skirts in soft fabrics and finished each outfit with a bowler-style hat. The audience liked her best. It was a young crowd, with more retailers than fashion press.
Mark Eisen, whose styles have been featured at Bergdorf-Goodman, showed charcoal denim suits.
Antony Moorcroft was the wit of the show. His fake fur mini-dress with matching turban made the audience giggle with delight.
Karl Logan used banker’s gray flannel for suits with jackets that draped and folded, usually once too often.
And Glenn Williams played it too safe with his dark navy blue suits.
The show followed Calvin Klein’s fall collection, which didn’t serve it well. After Klein’s meticulous tailoring and exquisite fabrics, the Los Angeles designers seemed out of their league. Ironically, they may have been cast in a better light if they had shown with their LA contemporaries.
Late last week, a number of LA designers, including Mark Eisen, staged their showings here, in their traditional, more informal way.
The fall lineup started Thursday with Jill Richards making her comeback after a year’s absence. During a cozy show in her Beverly Hills home, the red-haired designer proved she is still “Ruffles Richards.” Among her best entries is a black chiffon jumpsuit with ruffle-covered legs, jeweled buttons, white satin collar and cuffs.
Richards also offers sleek gowns and cocktail suits in satin and velvet combinations. She shares what looks like a Los Angeles fascination with the Great White Blouse. Richards had two versions: white satin worn with black, all-over sequin pants, matching bolero jacket and beret, as well as embroidered organza, with balloon sleeves, worn under rhinestone-decorated overalls.
Tailored Suits
At the California Mart the following evening, the Great White Blouse appeared under the jacket of a wool suit, by Dorothy Schoelen for Platinum, that had a “Dangerous Liaisons” neckline. Along with the neckline, favored by a number of designers, the show was filled with vests and pants of various lengths and fullness, ranging from basket-weave culottes by Kristin J. to tight, stove-pipe knits from Perry White. Mignon showed beautifully tailored suits both with long skirts and long, almost bell-bottom trousers.
At Union Station Saturday night, over 500 people sat in the heat and tried to imagine a time when the fall fashions on the runway would be needed.
Holly Sharp’s version of the great white blouse was worn under a period-piece velvet vest. Buttons, some jeweled, some gold, played a role in many collections and showed up well on black suits by Lisa Ann. Saelee put interesting collars on white blouses and used huge hats to top off the “Little Dorrit” velvet riding suits. Mark Eisen’s collection included denim suits (pants and skirt versions) as well as wool boucle suits with matching coats that have striking satin linings.
David Dart’s collection for Force One was ethnic-tinged; the silky pants ensembles in orange-and-raspberry paisley print were seductively wrapped in stoles or shawls and tied with fringed cord belts.
Judging from the L.A. collections, fall will be rich with very suitable suits--a particularly strong theme among those who showed in New York. Also plentiful were pants (nearly all of them cropped above the ankle), ethnic prints, tapestry patterns, scarfs (tied in unusual configurations and often draped like serapes), lightweight topcoats and enough white blouses to sink a Pilgrim ship.
