Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall I 2003: Shawn
Shawn designer Yohanna Logan should consider showing in a bigger venue next season. The fire marshal threatened to shut down her Mercedes-Benz Shows L.A. event, held April 3 at the Downtown Standard Hotel, because the venue had reached maximum occupancy. As a result, a crowd of anxious guests—with seat assignments—were turned away at the door.
It’s not surprising that Logan’s show invited such hype. Her quirky, reconstructed, punk style with 1950s and 1980s influences is a breath of fresh air in a world of serious, straightforward fashions.
For Fall, Logan added her Shawn touch to army-surplus styles. An army jacket was turned into a dress with a pleated skirt and worn with a short black-and-white polka-dot tie. A sack dress—complete with worn-down holes and a drawstring hem—had a line of zebras printed on its skirt and was also accessorized with a polka-dot tie. A military-style wrap miniskirt had a heart patch attached by safety pins. A gray T-shirt dress was trimmed with camouflage and accessorized with a pinned army hat.
The designer also made her mark on a few funky trench-coat dresses. A one-sleeve, belted trench in tan had a black tulle ruffle on the skirt. A violet short-sleeved trench had a short polka-dot, tulle skirt, and a black mini version came with a red belt.
Patches turned up on sweaters, shirts and jackets, including a very cool navy fur-hooded jacket and the finale piece: an army jacket turned into a tuxedo coat that was worn by Red Hot Chili Peppers front man Anthony Kiedis. —Joselle Yokogawa
