Eco-Chic Lavuk Fall 2011 by Natasha Gindin

Presented at the ACE Gallery as part of Concept LA Fashion Week. theLAVUK Fall 2011 Collection by designer Natasha Gindin was received by an enthusiastic packed house.

Born in the former Yugoslavia and growing up in cities all over the world, Natasha Gindin brings the diversity of her upbringing to her designs.  Calling her LAVUK Fall 2011 Collection “Infinity”, she attempts to capture the present and move into the future at the same time.  Classic sportswear silhouettes were transformed into a line that is about being contemporary and easy to wear, while still making a fashion statement.

The color story is based on shades of grey with a reddish-orange and purple mixing in as full garments or as accents.  With silhouettes that are a bit deco inspired in their sharpness of line and the exploration of lines extending out into “Infinity”, the collection expresses a modernity that is futuristic and a bit reminiscent of 1960’s Pierre Cardin.  Some of the highlights of the collection are modern coats with contrast details and detailed seaming, dresses and tops with cut-outs that reveal contrast fabric beneath, a modern take on the shirt dress, and tops that play with cowl drapes.

The LAVUK line is created using eco-friendly sustainable fabrics and is made sweatshop-free locally in Los Angeles.  Additionally, a tree is planted through American Forests as part of the California Wildfire Releaf Program for every garment purchased.

Fashion with a conscience.  Becoming more of a concern to LA designers, LAVUK is one of the leaders of this movement like fellow designer Averi Bell of Chemline.  We can only hope that more will follow.

Video by Omri Escalante.  Story by Mdivani Monroe of Ladies Who Lunch Travel

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Chemline Fall 2011

L.A.Fashion Week began with a weekend of runway shows and fashion/art installations hosted by Concept LA Fashion Week at the ACE Gallery in the Mid-Wilshire district.  Housed in an historic Art Deco building, the ACE Gallery is an interesting venue for shows, with its wide open spaces and attempt to mix fashion and art together.  To get to the runway space, you first had to pass through the gallery and make your way through art installations and performance artists, giving a buildup to the runway shows that would ensue.

The first show that I took in at Concept LA Fashion Week was designer Averi Bell’s Fall 2011 Chemline Collection.  A former costume designer for LA’s film community, Ms. Bell launched Chemline in the Fall of 2007.  Chemline is an apparel line that is inspired by Ms. Bell’s love for storytelling, combined with a love for the craftsmanship of garments.

Placing an emphasis on using materials that are eco-friendly and sustainable, the Fall 2011 Chemline fabrics are hemp, hemp silks, yak hemp blends and recycled poly with an emphasis on texture. The color palette for the collection was primarily black, white, grey, and shades of cream/off white, with a shot of a vibrant emerald green in the mix for a few outfits and as an accent on a black hooded jacket.

Silhouettes are sleek and modern with a remarkable attention to construction and details.  A very lady-like collection with scalloped hemlines, meticulous tailoring and the mixing of matte and shine fabrics give Chemline a sophistication that makes it stand out among other LA fashion lines.  A few pieces of note are the structured vests over blouses, a black cocktail dress with fabric streamers that connect to the ankles and a belted black gown with white shoulder accents and white godets at the hem.

Averi Bell’s Chemline Fall 2011 Collection accomplishes what she set out to do: tell a story.  And liking the story that was told, I will look forward to more of her storytelling in the future.

video by Omri Escalante.  Story reported by Mdivani Monroe of Ladies Who Lunch Travel

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L.A. Fashion Week: Gypsy 05 Fall 2011

Launched in 2005 by sister/brother team Osi and Dotan Shoham, Gypsy 05has become a line favored by celebrities like Kare Hudson, Jessica Alba, Amanda Seyfried and Miley Cyrus.  And, Gypsy 05 is not just for the girls, with a line for men that has been well received.  Their Fall 2011 line was attended by quite a few celebs, including Glee cast members Mark Criss and Dot-Marie Jones.

Epitomizing the Los Angeles life style, Gypsy 05 has gained wide appeal as a line that is easy-to-wear, comfortable and still extremely fashionable.  With an emphasis on being eco-friendly, the company produces a line of organic and natural fabrics uniquely dyed in their own dye house.

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L.A. Fashion Week: Stop Staring! Fall 2011

The passing of Elizabeth Taylor this week has turned my thoughts to old-school Hollywood Glamour and how little is left of it these days.  The days of stars, perfectly coiffed in sexy ultra feminine outfits, seem to be a thing of the past.  Today, more often than not, our female stars are photographed in jeans and t-shirts with mussed hair and no make-up.  While the move to casual and relaxed is liberating in some ways, I can’t help but long for those days of yore, when a perfect image was what one strived for.

Thankfully I am not the only one who feels this way.  There are still celebs out there who appreciate the allure of sexy feminine clothing and how just the right look can burn their image into the minds of fans.  With fewer and fewer design houses catering to this look, I was happy to discover Stop Staring! at Style Fashion Week LA.

Designer Alicia Estrada’s line Stop Staring! is a vintage inspired line of dresses, playsuits and suits that evoke that old Hollywood Glamour.  The tricky thing about vintage inspiration is to not let it overwhelm the designs and turn them into costumes.  Ms. Estrada has managed to take that inspiration and create a feminine sexy line that is at the same time modern and wearable.  

The cocktail party preceding the show was evidence of her success in achieving this, with fans of Stop Staring! sporting past season’s dresses, looking sexy, feminine and completely of the moment.  These are definitely not costumes!  And the women wearing them hit the mark completely, standing out in a crowd and creating a modern day image that captivates us the way the stars of the silver screen once did.

Story by Mdivani Monroe of Ladies Who Lunch Travel.  Video and Photos by Omri Escalante

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WEST COAST FAB: M5 Eco Couture

Besides benefitting Entertainment AIDS Alliance, the Fashion Minga event of LA Fashion Week also showcased 5 Southern California design houses. Events like these can be very important to small design houses, because they can help to give them the much needed exposure necessary to succeed in the highly competitive fashion arena. Los Angeles has a vibrant fashion community that marches to its own drummer and often reflect the local culture and concerns.

M5 Eco Couture is a perfect example of a design house that produces clothing that is right in line with LA style and is also fashion with a conscience. Designer Morgan Olson, the founder of and the creative talent behind M5 Eco Couture, definitely has an agenda. An agenda for saving the planet. M5 Eco Couture is all about being Eco-Friendly. Ms. Olson not only designs using resources that are sustainable and wonʼt harm the environment, but a big part of her collections are focused on recycling materials. Making garments out of recycled denim, scarves and other fabrics from used clothing, M5 Eco Couture strives to eliminate the waste that is caused by mass production. It also eliminates the need for producing new fabrics. Manufacturing fabric can pollute the environment with chemicals and dyes used in the process. Ms. Olson tries to use very little to none of packaging materials, with an eye toward reducing the mount of plastic bags and other packing items that end up in our landfills.

M5 Eco Couture presentation at Fashion Minga proved that you can create LA Chic clothing without being detrimental to the environment. A noble cause for fashion and a noble cause for our future.

Reported by Mdivani Monroe of Ladies Who Lunch Travel. Photos by Omri Escalante.
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WEST COAST FAB: Fashion Minga at Boulevard 3

The cancellation of most of the runway shows for the second half of Los Angeles Fashion Week left me wondering if there would be any events that would mark the week as special.  There were some delightful revelations, such as Julia Clancey’s dreamy collection, but would there be an event that would have a particularly LA flavor to it.  Fashion Minga may have been that moment.

Held at Boulevard 3, Fashion Minga was more than a fashion event in the strictest sense,  it was an extravaganza.  The word “Minga” is an Ecuadorian term for “a community coming together to work for the benefit of all”.  And being for the “benefit of all” goes beyond the participants in the event.  Fashion Minga also benefited the Entertainment AIDS Alliance, a volunteer group of industry professionals responding to the urgent need for AIDS service organizations nationwide. And members of the industry turned out to support the cause and the event, including Thom Barry of Cold Case.

Fashion Minga was an interesting mélange of fashion, theatre, dance and music.

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