Michael Costello Art Hearts Spring 2015

Aliens on the runway! That was my first impression of former Project Runway contestant Michael Costello’s fashion show. His collection at the Art Hearts Spring 2015 presentation at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week sent mixed signals.

The fabulous costumed aliens (I think) that flanked the runway for the models made me think that this would be an avant-garde, artistic show. The looks that came down the catwalk though, were sexy, dark, evening wear pieces that were daring, but not particularly forward. The deep browns, black, blue along with lots of sheer lace and metallic have a sultry look to match the models. Many of the body hugging silhouettes with revealed leg, fishtail hem or cut-outs are just screaming out for a Kardashian sister to wear them. Costello’s West Coast base also makes him primed to serve many a red carpet in the upcoming awards season.

Less successful were the few pieces of lace bottoms. Very sheer lace bottoms with a triangle patch at the crotch? These are the cringe-worthy items that women shake their head at and only a male would design.

Other spacey touches included spiked and studded masks that many of the models wore. I was unclear if this was part of the collection, a separate accessories brand or meant to convey a character? Also, those aliens were distracting because they were so cool, they took focus away from what otherwise was a great ‘diva’ collection.

Aside from these minor rookie mistakes, I am looking forward to what else Michael Costello Couture has in store for on this planet or the next.

photos by Mariana Leung

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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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Cynthia Vincent NYC Boutique Launch

West Coast designer Cynthia Vincent opened her downtown New York boutique last week. The store on the Lower East Side held a curated collection of her signature shoes.  The spring collection of clothing was a mix of ethic prints, easy silk silhouettes and delicately beaded tops.  Ikat patterns and Native American motifs hung in Earthy warm colors.  

Ms. Vincent herself was on hand to introduce hand-picked jewelry pieces from her travels, along with hand crafted handbags.  The easy contemporary style has become a favorite of celebrities like Blake Lively, Beyonce and Kristen Stewart.  

If you are looking for the perfect spring refresher, come on down to 253 Elizabeth Street to make your wardrobe happy.

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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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L.A. Fashion Week: Julia Clancey Spring 2011

Los Angeles Fashion Week is really unlike any other Fashion Week. Not having an official sponsor for the entire week, Fashion Week ends up being scattered events across the giant sprawl that is Los Angeles.  With so many events, each sponsored by a completely separate entity, you never quite know what to expect when you show up at one of them.

Last Saturday, I attended the show for the Julia Clancey collection in West Hollywood.  I wish I could say that I was savvy enough to have known Julia Clancey’s work before requesting an invitation to the event.  Of course, once I had determined to go to the event, I did my homework and researched Ms. Clancey and her work.  My research, however, gave me a little background and a feel for her style, but I was still a bit vague as to what I should expect ...

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Los Angeles Fashion Week: Green Initiative Spring 2011

Los Angeles Fashion Week started last weekend and what better way to begin my coverage than with The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show.  The show is sponsored by The Green Youth Movement, an organization founded by Ally Maize with a goal to educate youth on how to be eco friendly.  As Ms. Maize put it at the opening of the show, “We’re the next generation and can and will make a difference”.

The event showcased four labels that concentrate their efforts on eco-friendly fashion: organic and sustainable fabrics, local manufacturing, fair trade practices, non-toxic dyes.  Although these labels all put an emphasis on being eco-friendly, they each have a very distinctive personality.

First up on the runway was Kristinit, by designer Kristina Lenss.

In a collection that covered the bases from daytime casual to dressier pieces, Ms. Lenss turned out a very feminine and versatile line.  Constructed jackets paired with flirty skirts were key to this grouping as were a mix of day to evening dresses.

Next up was , a line with a primary goal to provide jobs for women with HIV in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. With this noble goal, they produce a line that is very handcrafted and artisanal, emphasizing elegance and comfort.  Using a color palette that is very earthy and natural, Keokjay produced a nice line of mostly casual separates, all with handcrafted details that really stand out.    One look that stood out was a dress with the fabric braided in the front to produce and interesting textural element from which the fabric emerged in soft drapes.

Jonãno followed with a line that was also more geared toward casual wear.  Utilizing mostly natural colors, Jonãno accented the collection with a few shots of mauve, a bright blue and an ethnic-look print.  A “macramé” shawl, an intricately twisted front print dress and a lace sheath dress with a long jacket were standouts in this grouping.

Last, but definitely not least, the Emily Factor line.  While the other lines were all beautifully done, this line kicked it up a notch.  The Central Saint Martins education was definitely apparent here.  Vibrant sophisticated prints were the focal point of this collection, whether draped in fluid dresses or as leggings. This bold use of color was a nice ending to the show. Flowing dresses with an emphasis on drape were knock outs and high waisted “paper bag” pants and shorts were stylishly reminiscent of the 80’s.

All in all, The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show  made good on its promise of showing us that fashion can be eco-friendly without compromising on style. Let’s hear it for Eco Chic!

Photos & Reporting by Mdivani Monroe

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West Coast FAB: Delano

California. Beautiful people with beautiful bodies playing on the beach.... But those bodies didn’t get that way by accident. It’s all about working out!  But what do you wear when you are working out?  I mean, you need to be practical and wear clothing that is functional for working out.  But you also want to look good WHILE working out.  And wouldn’t it be great if some of those workout clothes could serve double duty by being fashionable enough to wear on other outings?

Back in the 80’s, the movie Flashdance started a craze for wearing dancer inspired workout wear as street clothing.  But in all honesty, although it seemed cool at the time, the clothes that came out of that fad were merely sweatshirts that had necklines cut out of them and ripped leotards. They were hardly what you would call fashionable and it was a look that probably should have stayed  in the dance studio. Which raises the question, is it possible to have clothing that is practical for working out and also appropriate for daily activities?

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West Coast FAB: Juicy Style From Orange County

Happy Fabulous Friday!  We're going bi-coastal and bringing you all that is chic from Orange County.  Ms. FABulous has a new West Coast correspondent, Mdivani Monroe.  You may know him as the creator and host of "Ladies Who Lunch".  He will be showing you the best places to shop on the West Coast...

Orange County, CA.  The name itself conjures up images of Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Republicans, and Huntington Beach.  When you think of fashion companies in Orange County, the names of Quicksilver, Roxy, Billabong, Oakley roll off your tongue.  Fashion design is pretty much limited to surf and skate inspired clothing.  But perhaps that is about to change...

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