Known for his signature skate and street style aesthetic, LA designer Kyle Awtry presented his SAURI FW15 collection at LA Fashion Council. The collection was filled with simple denim and chambray pieces, as well as lace layers and loungewear-like clothing. The line was made for 'that every cool girl from Venice to Downtown, skateboard or no skateboard, wants to wear right now'. My favorite piece was the denim maxi dress that had an interesting cut out and neckline. Most of the other pieces were casual with a conceptual touch from Awtry. Pull over jackets and sweatershirts were made a bit more appealing with fabric mixing, but I felt as if some of the bottoms were ill-fitting on the models. See the Sauri SS15 Collection here and other LAFC collections I've posted about so far.
LA designer Debbie Talanian is the queen of minimalist lines and textiles; this season for her Stella Proseyn Fall 2015 Collection shown at LA Fashion Council, Makercity LA, Talanian presented a line up of military green hues, lace overlays, boxy jackets and tops, tailored slacks, and a very bold and almost reptilian fabric which is a slight departure from what I've seen in past Stella Proseyn collections.
Talanian got her inspiration through fabrics and let them lead her collection. There was a focus on attainable beauty and everyday luxury, and fabrics that feel good and look good. Silhouettes were clean, minimal, and still relevant without being trendy. The pieces were designed to be ones a woman can keep in her wardrobe season after season, and were all designed and produced in LA.
Every season, I'm anxious to see what LA designer Rose La Grua has created, this year she showed her collection at LA Fashion Council FW15 Collection showings at Maker City LA. She has such a unique touch and flair about her line 'That's Totally Fine', and as I have been in awe of her designs in past seasons, she did it again for her Fall/Winter 2015 collection, "cream dream", inspired by vintage lingerie. This vintage theme also carried out with the glamorous wavy hair her models donned, as well as their opulent jewelry and pointed heels or flats. La Grua always finds some way to make even a slip dress or silk shorts interesting whether it adding bows or ties in different places, or mixing contrasting fabrics; my favorites included a square paneled vest and voluminous peplum coat. Her designs were classic, clean, feminine, and flirty, and she focused on all natural fibers, using wool, linen, and silk for her pieces all in a monochromatic palette.
My co-editor (Alpha/Omega Magazine) Andrew and I attended the 6th day of OC Fashion Week's show schedule at Anqi Bistro, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA. The runway line up included mens and womens designers ranging in a wide spectrum of designs and creations. The first, Hidden Warriors showcased cancer survivors with a 'warrior makeover'; second was rave wear Conspire by Jessica Johnson, which I felt some well crafted, others looked a bit more 'home crafted' with the scraps of fabric or embellishments; third was Porter South, a menswear label that translated as ready-to-wear but still had stand out unique designs (dying over the leather studded jacket and drop crotch pants); the forth, Elizabeth Celaya which I thought was the most avant-garde and some pieces could also be assimilated into mainstream fashion but still maintaining its intriguing elements; and lastly Stevie Boi's eyewear collection which was bold and fun. The show was very high energy, once it got started (was delayed by 45 minutes); and leading up to the show was chaotic as guests had to wait in a long line outside for entry and once inside, trying to find their seats or tables was a messy situation with some expressing that their seats were taken; therefore signage on seating and a more thought out seating process would help facilitate a smoother check in. I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with this venue, as it peeves me that I can see models and staff walking back and forth behind the runway; but hey, the garlic noodles were delicious as usual.Thank you to runway coordinator Hien for making sure Andrew and I were taken care of! See the OC Fashion Week's video of the event at the bottom of the post!
Hidden Warriors - Therapeutic & Transformative Avant-Garde Designer featuring Cancer-Survivor Models Conspire - Rave Designer Jessica Johnson Porter South - Designer Miranda Amelia and featuring America's Next Top Model Will Jardell Elizabeth CelayaStevie Boi Eyewear - CR3AM Collection featuring America's Next Top Models Lisa d'Amato and Will Jardell
Day 2 of OC Fashion Week, Sugar Rush Autumn/Winter 2015 on Saturday February 28th brought together guests and fashion and style makers at the Newport Lexus dealership to experience a line up of designers showcasing swimwear, evening dresses, and accessories including friends What a Betty, Salt Shoes (I unfortunately didn't snap any pics of the designs but you can see the shoes in the video below), and fellow blogger Kimberly Luu's designs. I was excited to get to discover other designers ranging from bikinis by Brit B Beach Candy and Manoni Handbags to Victoria by Elizabeth pencil skirts and dresses by Claire Farwell. I was also very excited to not only catch up with good blogger friends but also meet new bloggers, it's such a small but growing community in Orange County! The space was very vast and beautiful and completely a full house, but I felt that the designers could have been showcased a bit more; perhaps feature accessory designers through a live installation or presentation instead of a runway show, that way guests can take a longer and detailed look at each piece. There's a little bit of an inconsistency with the models (height) so it was just very noticeable for me and I feel it takes away from the overall aesthetic of a designer's collection. There were also some very interesting runway walks, but at least the models 'owned' their walk and tried to make it fierce (although I must admit that some 'walks' were distracting and took away from the designs being presented). All in all an interesting evening for OC fashion, but I'm happy to be able to support fellow designer friends. BeachCandy with Raptor Jewelry Kimberly Luu with Serene Sky Manoni Handbags What a Betty with clothing from BettinisVictoria by Elizabeth, Pencil Skirt Designer Claire Farwell
