L.A. Fashion Week Spring '04: Louis Verdad
In his Spring 2004 collection, Louis Verdad toyed with various retro looks and updated them for the modern woman who puts the “pro” in provocative.
It was Verdad’s first show since participating in Gen Art twice last year and only his third collection overall. The designer’s Oct. 30 show during Mercedes- Benz Shows L.A. was standing-room-only, and an overflow crowd of guests who did not get into the show spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of the venue. His was one of four shows underwritten by the event’s organizers.
With inspiration rooted firmly in the late ’40s and ’50s, Verdad offered sophisticated, sexy retro looks that painted a picture of a glamorous woman vacationing on the Riviera who suddenly finds herself in a Hitchcock movie.
Wide-brimmed hats, satin gloves, polka-dot scarves and two-tone shoes accessorized Verdad’s dramatic daywear, which ranged from traditional feminine shapes to sporty hot shorts and masculine Marlene Dietrich–inspired suitings. Vintage glamour characterized his party dresses.
Verdad’s fabrications showed as much variation as his looks, as he made generous use of linen and poplin in addition to silk and jersey. His palette included bursts of color among heavy black and white.
—Christian M. Chensvold
