L.A.’s day in the sun
At last, L.A. fashion had a week it can be proud of.
Certainly, the trappings were there: underage models, trend-hungry buyers, the kind of crowds that make the fire marshal wince ... and a front row-crashing transvestite.
But bringing what’s on the runway to the same level as the wild scene around it is going to require more designers to either produce clothes that don’t need much spectacle because they are so darn good (Richard Tyler), or at least learn to put on shows with a little razzle-dazzle.
Some designers’ fall collections, which consisted of little more than last season’s cargo pants and frumpy sweatshirts, never should have made it to the runway. Others were too earnest and their presentations lacked vitality. “This is a real opportunity for Los Angeles designers to take a cue from the Gallianos and the Gaultiers of the world, that fashion shows should be entertaining as well as informative,” said Arianne Phillips, a stylist who has dressed Courtney Love, Madonna and Lenny Kravitz.
The shows have miles to go before they rival the European extravaganzas that function as international cultural touchstones. Still, most of the buyers, stylists and press who attended the first Mercedes-Benz Shows L.A. event, produced by the same marketing firm responsible for New York’s fashion week at Bryant Park, found it useful.
“It’s isolated a specific market, which is the young fashion market, and given us an opportunity to compare this set of designers efficiently,” said Sue Patneaude, a Nordstrom executive. “It’s also created a forum where they don’t have to compete with Donna, Ralph and Calvin.”
Richard Tyler is one L.A. designer who can and does compare with New York’s fashion triumvirate. He closed out the week with a fall collection that ranked among the best in the world. A tuxedo in a black-and-multicolored floral velvet was cut with razor-like precision, the fabric pinched at the tops of the shoulders like peaks of meringue. And a minty green silk chiffon goddess gown, with a tiny gold chain providing suspension across the back, was spectacularly draped.
“If only they all could have been like that,” stylist Tod Hallman said afterward.
A former design assistant at Richard Tyler, Michelle Mason must have had Marlene Dietrich in mind when she designed a smart, army-green crepe shirtdress with a jaunty red necktie. Her sultry, metallic cheongsam top paired with a long, charmeuse skirt made the model look like a tall drink of champagne. She also debuted a promising lower-priced line called Mason, with striped cowboy shirts, Glen plaid bomber jackets, distressed chocolate brown denim coats and an ivory crackled leather skirt with raw edges for the Silver Lake set.
Grey Ant’s Grant Krajecki is one L.A. designer with the kind of creativity that could rival Gaultier’s or Galliano’s if properly developed. At his show, there were ushers in Druid-like robes, flaming torches above the runway, and models in mullet wigs and glitter masks. “I didn’t want the models’ faces to be a distraction from the clothes,” the designer said.
His clothes were some of the most interesting of the week. While everyone else showed low-slung pants, Krajecki’s were high-waisted. A snug little windbreaker came in a print reminiscent of a video game, and a long, blush-colored sweatshirt cardigan had a flirty, ruffled hem. A midnight-blue crushed velvet skirt came alive with color when it moved, and diagonal rows of fringe were revealed to be metallic on one side and paisley on the other.
Sue Wong also knows a thing or two about drama. She presented entrance-making dresses for every occasion. Some shimmied with flapper-style fringe, or were tie-dyed and covered in shiny caviar beadwork. Others had matching coats with dramatic trains that caught wind when models walked.
Evening wear is Kevan Hall’s comfort zone, too. A persimmon ombre silk chiffon gown was as perfect as a Malibu sunset, while the red beading on a tulle V-neck gown brought to mind strands of fire coral. Leafy detail covered the chest of a filmy cream organza top worn with black cashmere pants. But the show was a case for better editing; it petered out about halfway through.
So: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, what are women going to be wearing this fall? Probably not the Snow White dresses designed by Tanya Sarne for the British label Ghost, which has a store on Robertson Boulevard. The puff-sleeved, full-skirted confections, in corals, pinks and plums -- one with the image of a Bambi-like fawn on the skirt -- left some guests hoping for a poison apple finish.
Cornell Collins revisited the 1950s with a slim cocktail dress in a sudsy bubble print with a black organza overlay. A black silk sleeveless top had what he called “vintage monkey fur” shooting out from the armholes like broom bristles. It was a charming collection, if a bit too literal in its vintage references.
The drape’s the thing at Martin Martin, where husband-and-wife designers Eric Martin and Diane Moss-Martin continue to ride the Japanese conceptual train, puckering and pleating fabric to create clothes with an architectural quality. Their collection was much improved, and one Women’s Wear Daily editor even claimed to have spotted a finished hem. The best pieces were plaid flannel and had a punk flair, including a sleeveless double-breasted jacket and a ball skirt with a frayed bottom.
Petro Zillia’s Nony Tochterman tempered her penchant for arts and crafts in favor of a more polished look. A prom-ready strapless dress had a burnished orange velvet bodice and an embroidered gold skirt; a hot pink velvet coat had satin bow closures; and a puff-sleeved lime green sweater sprouted yarn trim at the shoulders.
Also marching to the teen beat, Shawn’s Johanna Logan had an auspicious debut with a youthful collection that included an army sack dress with zebras galloping across the front, lacy tux shirts and funky varsity jackets. The show was also the site of the best L.A. fashion week catwalk cameo. When Logan’s boyfriend, Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, in a kilt, head-butted a friend in the front row, it was a performance even “Chicago’s” Billy Flynn would have appreciated.
