L.A. Fashion Week Spring '03: Elena La Bua and Shawn
The fashion shows started late, but no one seemed to mind as they indulged in spend-y cocktails, trendy people watching and networking at the rooftop POOL closing night party at the Downtown Standard Hotel on Nov. 4.
First up was Los Angeles-based Elena La Bua, the contemporary collection designed by Chris Kohout and Janna Pelsinger. The design team showed a Spring collection that ranged from low-cut pants—some cropped mid-calf and others just grazing the knee, worn with tiny tees—to a group of fluid jersey dresses in peacock, black, white and beige. A gray striped group included slim low-cut trousers with black piping, a mid-calf empire-waist halter dress, and a bias-cut high-neck halter dress with plunging back. The gray group had a new-wave edge to it, featuring an A-line skirt set with diagonal zippers worn with a simple bandeau. Notable were the black jersey dresses with inset cutouts in mesh, a fluid wrap dress with mesh trim, and a three-piece suit in black denim trimmed in gray.
While Elena La Bua was flirting with the “Last Days of Disco,” Shawn’s collection was pure preppy-punk. The Los Angeles collection, designed by Yohanna Logan, included a group of tennis dresses trimmed with contrast piping and button pins (much like the butterfly buttons given to guests when they entered the party). A Kelly green and navy striped knit ran diagonally on a mini-dress and halter top with a rib-knit Johnny collar. Logan revived the sixbutton sailor skirt in white and black and paired it with a red and white striped halter top and a cropped gray hoodie with zebra silk screening. The designer also showed low-slung cropped pants in plaid paired with cropped graphic tees. —Alison A. Nieder
