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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.
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.
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.
Showing at Style Fashion Week LA, Gypsy 05’s Collection has a definite bohemian feel to it. Flowing maxi dresses, reminiscent of the hippie culture of the 60’s, mixed together with their personal styling of classic sportswear pieces for men and women, from chinos and unstructured jackets to chunky sweaters and lace tops. Modern takes on tie-dye highlight the collection as do ombré dyed sweaters and silks. Silhouettes are relaxed and casual with an emphasis on layering with contrasting colors and prints. The must have accessories of the collection are the richly dyed scarves, shown layered on both men and women.
This season’s show proved that Osi and Dotan Shoham continue to mature as designers, taking the line to the next level. It also reminds us that Gypsy 05 is a line to keep one’s eye on!
Video by Omri Escalante
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.
