Angels — For four days, Hollywood, California, was packed with people flocking to check out the various LA Fashion Week shows organized by a new owner at a new location.
Lines lined the sidewalks on Sunset Boulevard until they were temporarily suspended for an immersive art exhibit featuring works by Vincent van Gogh and a fashion show on King Tut.
A few blocks away, lectures and panel discussions are held in the historic Citizens News Building, which houses event spaces and the hip new Mother Wolf restaurant.
Everyone was holding their breath to see how LA Fashion Week, now owned by N4XT Experiences, would fare for its October 6th and 9th run. By most accounts, it was a success.
Attendees were taken to the new venue with a large cavernous room featuring starry nights or fireworks on the walls.
As models lined long white benches on the concrete floor, fashionistas looked at creations from brands including Only Child, Gypsy Sport, Attachments, Revis Denim and Sammy Miro Vintage.
On average, the shows started 35 to 45 minutes late with some degree of chaos in the air as fashion goers wondered when they would be seated.
One audience member, who asked not to be named, said he believed the shows weren’t as organized as previous LA Fashion Weeks but liked the new venue. Considering this was their first event, she thought the new owners were doing well. “I try to be new,” she said.
Many fashionistas enjoyed the various events organized around the Hollywood area and LA Fashion Week.
Those events will feature a host of panels, fireside discussions and masterclasses on a variety of fashion and beauty topics, focusing on how digital closets can promote sustainability and the future of beauty.
Estee Lauder’s granddaughter and N4XT Experiences beauty consultant, Danielle Lauder, moderated the talk “Live Art Meets Luxury” with Donald Robertson, the artist of Estee Lauder Cos. Inc.
Answering questions from Lauder about his artistic process and creativity, Robertson drew portraits of models on large canvases.
While working with the cosmetics line Smashbox, the company recalled marketing the brand in the 1960s by purchasing a high-end white Cadillac convertible. He painted red lipstick on it and parked it near the Art Basel show in Miami Beach, Florida, for the cosmetics company, which is now a subsidiary of Estee Lauder.
“Mile Cyrus crawled over it and it ended up being in People magazine,” Robertson recalled. “I like things like that.”
It was those experiences that made fashionistas like Amanda Stinson happy. “I like this fashion week better than the one in April,” she said. “There wasn’t that much to do before, but the panels were provocative.”
The performances involved various communities. Gypsy Sports designer and founder Rio Uribe created a colorful, gender-bending show to commemorate his Latino roots with male models wearing dresses, female models wearing skirts and zoot suit-like creations.
“We’re all about respecting the community. In Los Angeles, there’s a big Latino and queer community, and I wanted to give them a chance,” said the designer, who moved his company from New York to Los Angeles in 2019 and has shown at New York Fashion Week. Last year he showed at LA Fashion Week held at the Peterson Automotive Museum.
His collection consisted of a lot of slouchy tops that were seen in mini skirts and mini skirts. Plaid was also a popular fabric with lace trims and pleats on skirts and yellow skirts. Spaghetti strapped dresses were also very popular with underwear.
Uribe says this LA Fashion Week has a different feel than others. He said there was more noise about it. “Maybe it’s the location, but I’ve heard a lot of people talk about it,” he said.
While standing in line at the Koreatown Post Office in Los Angeles, he was surprised to hear someone talking about the show and asking about getting tickets. “Oh my God, that was amazing,” he said.
LA Fashion Week was also the event where Moss Adams LLP chose to present its annual MAFI Award to an outstanding LA designer. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the award has been suspended since 2019.
The award was presented to Revis Denim for its sustainability efforts using salvaged, recycled and organic cotton fabrics, its commitment to diversity in the workplace, and its production primarily in-house in downtown Los Angeles. “They produce beautiful grapes,” says Martin Hughes, clothing national practice leader for Moss Adams, a global accountancy and consulting firm. .
Shai Sudry, founder of Revis Denim, says his company takes its inspiration from Los Angeles. His Spring 2023 collection focused on Hollywood movies for the ages. “The concept of the show was a Hollywood revival of six different movie genres,” he said.
The collection, shown on Saturday, includes patchwork jumpsuits, matching ensembles, low-rise denim silhouettes, baggy jeans, mini shorts, skirts, micro tops and vegan leather pants and tops.
LA Fashion Week is back in the swing of things after a hiatus due to the pandemic, fashion-goers are excited. “I felt like these were real shows,” said Mitch Ramey, who attended the Gypsy St. show. “I hope they do something.”
