This Leggy Accessory Goes Out on a Limb
It was a little fashion sleight of hand, or rather, arm, that appeared in the fall 2002 collection of Eisbar shown on the runway of the Coalition of Los Angeles Designers show last week.
The leg warmers that accessorized the new women’s collection were originally intended to be sleeves, said Eisbar co-founder Bobby Benveniste, who said this week that he was inspired by a pile of castoff jacket parts last season. The designers had converted men’s motorcycle jackets to vests, which left extra parts.
“We had all these extra sleeves, and I thought, what are we going to do with them?” he said. Voila! Leg warmers! “We don’t want to call them leg warmers, because people will be scared off by that. So we named them cobertos, which means ‘covers’ in Portuguese.”
When worn over shoes, the suede, leather or denim cobertos look like either tall spats, the shaft of boots, or a type of, yes, leg warmer, but not a sleeve. “We wanted to do leg warmers anyway,” said co-designer Kiernan Lambeth. “It was sort of a happy accident.”
The look of spats and leg warmers has been brewing on the streets of L.A. and will be featured in the fall collections of Chanel, Marjan Pejoski and Guy Laroche, among others.
Benveniste said he hopes that the new accessory will become an inexpensive and unique drawing card for the rest of the women’s line, which debuts this fall.
Valli Herman-Cohen
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Dudes in Designer Duds
Meanwhile, let’s rewind to last week’s fashion action at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, where local politicos--dudes in designer duds--took to the catwalk for the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation fund-raiser.
Backstage, the likes of City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, Sheriff Lee Baca and speaker emeritus of the California State Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa chatted about Gucci, Armani and Zegna.
Because he wears a uniform for work, Baca said, he appreciates fine clothes and owns more than 20 suits “which tend to be charcoal, black and gray in athletic cuts.”
“For me, style is about looking good in clothes that speak to your height and weight. I wear clothes that are fashionably suited to my size,” he said, adding that he prefers European cuts, especially Yves Saint Laurent. But he’s not opposed to shopping for a bargain, as well.
“If I buy an off-brand label, I pay attention to the tailoring and usually have the coat taken in on the sides. I go for a conservative and balanced look, but with quality in mind,” he said.
Villaraigosa said his personal style is “somewhat relaxed, but if I had a choice, it would be Armani suits. I love the way they hang on the body.” Delgadillo is a Donna Karan fan and is especially fond of DKNY ties for his striped shirts. Gordon Davidson, artistic director and producer of the Center Theatre Group, said his style is “very mixed. Because I have to raise money, I’m in suits for the boardroom, but when I’m with actors, I dress alternative.”
Former Mayor Richard Riordan said, “The sloppy square look is my usual attire. I try to look like Clint Eastwood but always end up looking like Adam Sandler.”
Michael Quintanilla
