Champagne in the Rain: Fresh Faces in Fashion 2007 By Eleanor Haycock
The flavored champagne poured along with the rain at Gen Art's Fresh Faces in Fashion 2007, the spectacular kick-off to LA Fashion Week. Gen Art has a reputation for introducing the most fabulous emerging designers, having debuted such talents as Zac Posen, Rebecca Taylor, Louis Verdad, Corey Lynn Calter, Twinkle, and Grey Ant in years past.
Fresh Faces in Fashion took place this year at the Petersen Automotive Museum, where an expectedly well-dressed crowd gathered to sip on cocktails and pose for the gathered nightlife photographers. Gifted accessory designers Anita Hopkins, Cerre, Mannin and Shane by Brooks Salzwedel mingled with curious showgoers who wandered about their displayed lines.
Eight other talented designers were celebrated on the runway including Melissa Coker for Wren, who brightened up the stage with a hand-dyed silk dress -- complete with pockets and bouncing pleated skirts -- matched with cardigans for a full California sunrise look inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's troubled heroines. Suh-Tahn showed simple yet exceedingly innovative designs that won over the crowd as a favorite.
Endovanera's quick-walking male models -- in tailored, but loose-fitting blazers, cardigans, and overcoats paired with solid denims -- took to the runway alongside a few women who wore the menswear look just as well. Muse's "Hysteria" heralded the arrival of Marlova's intelligent knits, a line that was as universal as basics but showed exceptional detail. And when the music stopped during Christian Weber's show the crowd made up for the lack of audio with enthusiastic applause for the details on the sophisticated tailored pieces. As the only eveningwear of the night, Weber's exquisite dresses made for a perfect finale to a smashing evening of cutting-edge style.
Anita Hopkins
