L.A. in N.Y.: Lloyd Klein
The Studio 54 location of Lloyd Klein’s Spring 2003 show held Sept. 20 during New York Fashion Week seemed particularly well-suited for the designer’s current collection, which seemed made for beautiful and jaded socialites in search of the next new thing.
To drive the point home, Klein held the show to wait for socialite-turned-model Paris Hilton to arrive, settle her sister Nikki and friends Tara Reid and Rhea Durham into their seats, and find her way backstage to be made up in time to walk in the show.
For the Parisian-turned-Angeleno designer, the next new thing starts with some of his now familiar silhouettes: tailored suits, high-necked halter tops and backless gowns. Suit jackets and pants had athletic-inspired double tuxedo stripes down the sleeve and leg.
And a halter dress was given a rock ’n’ roll reinterpretation in black leather with a plunging neckline (and worn by former supermodel Janice Dickinson).
Klein showed both men’s and women’s pieces, with styles and details carrying through both sets of offerings. The double tux stripe showed up on both a men’s suit coat and a women’s floor-length coat. And for both men and women, the designer showed tailored black suits with raw edges in red.
Klein also demonstrated a certain sense of humor with his collection of men’s boxer briefs and tanks shown on an endless parade of beautiful male models. Each item was embroidered with a red sperm icon, which sparked a tittering buzz through the crowd. The designer closed the show with Paris Hilton as a leather-clad bride. —Alison A. Nieder
