Los Angeles Fashion Week: One of a Kind Style

Los Angeles is the only place where UGG boots, paired with a mini skirt, was once considered a fashion statement. Although L.A. often gets a bad reputation for its casual, anything-goes style, it is that exact approach to fashion that designers are starting to be inspired by. Los Angeles Fashion Week, a relatively new event, started in 2002, and faces the challenges of the city’s sprawling, de-centralized layout and heavy traffic problems. Currently the runway shows are being held at the Smashbox Studios in Culver City, which many say is too far away from the heart of Los Angeles. Project Runway winner, designer Jeffery Sebelia, believes the shows should be moved downtown because, "People want to see fashion as art, and there's no glamour in sitting underneath a tent. Downtown, you have wonderful architecture around you." Critics also blame the party image and limited range of designers for the shortcomings of this Fashion Week. Although New York is still the ultimate destination for designers to launch their collections, Los Angeles is gaining credibility because of the media coverage the local celebrities bring, and is proving itself to be an up and coming fashion force.

Los Angeles has a few advantages that no other cities have—the most important being the star factor, or the presence and influence of celebrities. Award shows, like the Oscars, which are as much about fashion as they are about awards, bring glamour to the city. By wearing a certain dress, celebrities not only increase the designer’s sales but they can set general style trends across the country. When describing the impact of getting one’s design worn to the Academy Awards, Fashion designer Paula Hian says, “I don’t know how to put it in dollar terms, but it seems to have immeasurable value in the branding of your name.” L.A. Fashion Week has the potential to draw in an audience of regionally located stars, who have the power to make a no name designer into a superstar. It is also astonishingly cheaper to show in Los Angeles versus New York. Showcasing a line at Bryant Park can cost about $46,000 for a tent, whereas a main tent in L.A. can be purchased for only $8,000. The low cost and high media coverage makes Los Angeles an attractive way for a designer to create a lot of buzz around their name.

One of the main weaknesses of L.A. Fashion Week is the lack of big-name designers. Los Angeles Times writer Emile Vesilind explains, “Since L.A. Fashion Week's 2002 inception, its shows have failed to lure big-shot retail buyers or the global fashion media. And in turn, they've failed to anchor the city's talent. More established local designers…have chosen to stage presentations in New York, where the industry's heavy-hitters are seated ringside." Recently, however, increased effort has gone into recruiting notable designers. This year, a public relations consultant was hired full time to do whatever it takes to bring in the best names possible, and IMG Fashion vice president Fern Mallis believes, "[This is] the best lineup in years.” Still, there is no big brand designer names coming out of Los Angeles, and the only way to create name recognition is for the media to focus on the designers and not just the clothes. When Los Angeles starts to be associated with more noted designers, the city will begin to be thought of as a more legitimate fashion destination.


Los Angeles still may not be on par with the ultra-chic New York, but the success of fashion week this year can be attributed to designers finally capturing the local spirit and not trying to be something that it is not. L.A. street style might not be high fashion but it is fun, eclectic and completely unique, and this year designers celebrated this style instead of fighting against it. The Petro Zillia show (seen below), which finished off Fashion Week, was a perfectly fitting finale that embodied the attitude of L.A. Designer Nony Tochterman (pictured right with Paris Hilton) explains her motivation behind the spring collection, saying, "This season is all inspired by the L.A. girl, the fearless girl into fashion.” The show featured a bright collection of spirited gowns, with none other than Paris Hilton, the notorious Los Angeles party girl, walking the runway. Although Tocherman used to believe New York was the only place that could feed her creativity, she now says of L.A., “The mentality, the culture, is all changing. The fashion and culture is so inspiring here." She is not the only designer to thrive off Los Angeles style. Also in line with the Hollywood spirit, JC Obando presented each guest to the show with a “screenplay” describing his inspiration. Jeremy Scott’s collection (see left) was perfectly complemented by the “car culture” of L.A., as his urban designs alluded to construction sites and “waste and back alleys,” or the not-so-glamorous aspects of the city. His models strutted the runway with skid marks and road signs; Scott explains, “I wanted to take all these elements that are brute and dirty and nasty and turn them into something beautiful and elegant.” Scott, who is established enough to show in New York and Paris, hopes that his support of L.A. will help it reach its full fashion potential.

There is something alluring about Los Angeles that designers are starting to notice. The people of the city may not follow the traditional rules of fashion, but that rebellious spirit is what is so appealing about L.A. The city has a lot to offer the fashion world and with things continuing in the direction they are heading, Los Angeles Fashion Week may some day be a force for New York to reckon with.