L.A. Fashion Week Spring '09: Kevan Hall
Designer Kevan Hall is a regular at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif. And this season, the creator of red-carpet gowns and cocktail dresses opened the five-day event on Oct. 12.
The sophisticated collection traveled back to the 1940s and took Hollywood costume designer Adrian’s creations as inspiration. “I’m looking back to the ’40s with a stronger shoulder, a narrow, tapered skirt with slits, and a nipped waist and corsetedbelt accents,” Hall said.
The show started off with a black-and-white grouping that consisted of clean lines and lots of nostalgia. A double-breasted dress in silk dupioni with a white top and black skirt was topped by a black beret reminiscent of “An American in Paris.” A black-and-white silk gingham blouse paired with black pencil pants had Lauren Bacall written all over them. Hall revived the peplum suit in a Lurex twill. Evening gowns were either straight as a pencil or as flouncy as cotton candy. One of the designer’s favorite palettes was a pink, black and white combination that included the dress that “Ugly Betty” star Vanessa Williams wore to the Emmy Awards. —Deborah Belgum
