L.A. Fashion Week Spring '04: Susana Mercedes
Guatemalan-born Los Angeles designer Susana Mercedes traded in the imported ethnic textiles she used last season for the silks, satin organza, charmeuse and chiffons of her Spring 2004 collection, shown on Oct. 29 at Smashbox Fashion Week.
Using a color palette of baby blue, pink, black, red and white, Mercedes drew inspiration from vintage classic couture but updated the look with modern sensibilities. A hooded long-sleeved bodysuit featured off-white contrast sleeves. A cream ruffle-collar blouse topped a black A-line skirt with cream hip and hem ruffles. And a black–and–off-white sleeveless top with a detachable ruffle collar was worn with contrast-panel pants for an athletic-inspired, elegant look.
But the designer did not altogether forgo the strong ethnic influences that helped define last season’s collection. Some pieces featured apron-like layers in multiple colors and cap-sleeve charmeuse ruffles. —C.F.
