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Mercedes-Benz and
Smashbox have wrapped the latest L.A. Fashion Week and
as the fog of publicity and celebrity dissipates, one
thing is made clearer than ever: Fashion is now
unapologetically live theater and designers indulge in
live-action hype as the chief accessory to their
clothing lines.
Whether that means Lloyd-Weber
production values, Cirque du Soleil-style pyrotechnics,
or street-level agitprop, runway shows are the newest
off-Broadway spectacles and the fashion designers
increasingly resemble Oscar Wilde. The hoola-hoopers,
faux priests, and celebrity A-listers who highlighted
the week prove the point.
Beyond the obligatory
hype and celebrity posturing, there were the styles of
Fall ’06 that ranged from the understated and elegant to
the shock-your-mother-at-a-price set.
Among the
former were Kara Saun who made an impression with her
elegant cocktail dresses that teased by leaving plenty
to the imagination. Her concepts aspired to more than
just the lowest-common denominator as she featured red
satin, blue hammered silks, cap sleeves, pleats and
three-quarter-length sleeves. Right off the hit
television reality show Project Runway, Saun seems
destined to impress for years to come.
Along the
lines of classic classy, there were the designs of Sue
Wong with her international theme and those of Octavio
Carlin who championed a slightly retro-‘60’s look.
Jennifer Nicholson proved her last name provides more
than enough hype to allow her to actually focus on
fashion. She made her point with some curve-skimming,
butterfly-sleeve dresses in rich silk printed with
whimsical patterns she dubbed Pirate, and Lock and
Key
Representing the Department of Raised
Eyebrows was Antik Denim making its first appearance at
Fashion Week. Designers Alexandre Caugant and Philippe
Naouri had to work hard to keep fans like Hilary Duff,
Brooke Burke, and Tia Carrere from upstaging the runway
show. Torn jeans and racy ripped lace with bare
nipple-exposing models pulled camera shutters back to
the catwalk from the celebrity-saturated front
row.
This year's
Fashion Week showcased 6 out of 35 designers who were
from outside of the United States. Among them was the
eyebrow raising sexy London line Agent Provocateur,
Mexico City’s Louis Verdad (with Paris Hilton on hand),
and Buffalo from Montreal.
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