Cracking the dress code
‘Fashion forward’
Event: Skin & Bones gala at MOCA, Nov. 18, 2006
Sounds like: A “Project Runway” challenge involving inertia
Meant to: Emphasize the intersection of fashion and architecture
Resulted in: More skin than bones, off-the-shoulder dresses
Standout: The anonymous woman who accessorized her blue ball gown with a denim pant leg re-purposed into an arm-length fingerless glove emblazoned with the words “DIOR NOT WAR”
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‘Malibu whites’
Event: Donald Sterling’s fete for sponsors and supporters of the L.A. Clippers, Sept. 9, 2007
Sounds like: A carjacking ring headed by Mel Gibson
Meant to: Create a relaxed but upscale country-club feel
Resulted in: Golf shirts and linen pants for men, resort-wear dresses for women
Standout: Elgin Baylor in white linen trousers, a white silk camp shirt and a pair of white bucks
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‘Poolside chic’
Event: YSL-hosted pool party benefit at the Beverly Hills Hotel, 2006
Sounds like: St. Tropez without the jet lag
What it meant: Upscale warm-weather wear -- and YSL
Resulted in: A hodgepodge of the good, the bad and the unfortunate: dark, heavy suits, tuxedos, denim, floral prints, pops of aquamarine and turquoise, and lots and lots and lots of YSL
Standouts: Ashton and Demi, he in a relaxed-looking gray suit and she in a YSL shift dress
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‘All black’
Event: A MOCA gala honoring donor Dallas Price-Van Breda, 2005
Sounds like: A convention of Johnny Cash impersonators
What it meant: Head-to-toe black wardrobe, a specific request of the honoree
Resulted in: Black, shades of gray with the occasional idiot in a white dress shirt
Standout: The honoree, who showed up in -- surprise! -- a head-to-toe silver ensemble
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‘Urban safari’
Event: American Museum of Natural History Junior Council’s 2003 winter dance
Sounds like: A manhunt sponsored by the Urban Cougar League
What it meant: A celebration of the animal kingdom
Resulted in: Leopard prints, fur, feathered headdresses and a cockatoo or two
Standout: Supermodel Eugenia Silva looked grrrrrreat in an orange, tiger-striped number
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‘Glam rock’
Event: Race to Erase MS benefit, 2004
Sounds like: A chance for glitter overload, if you’re a guy
What it meant: Full-tilt Ziggy Stardust
Resulted in: Bon Jovi leather fringe jackets and Motley Crue makeup on men
Standout: Kimberly Stewart’s metallic boots, which helped blot out the image of Harry Hamlin in a rainbow fright wig.
