L.A. Fashion Week Fall '04: Petro Zillia
Think Duke Ellington with an explosion of color. That may best describe the Fall 2004 collection of Petro Zillia, the popular Los Angeles label designed by Nony Tochterman. The designer showed her latest creations on March 29 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City.
“The line is very much inspired by the late 1920s and early 1930s jazz era,” said Tochterman, known for her ever-changing hair color, which last year was bright orange and now is pink.
“It’s not so much flapper dresses but more men’s suits that are made to look more feminine.”
The silhouettes on the runway were definitely reminiscent of the speak-easy era. Fedoras topped long wool coats worn over cuffed wool pants. Herringbone vests were paired with knickers, and cropped jackets went with A-line skirts. Halter dresses, trumpet dresses and pleated skirts were other looks in the collection.
Tochterman’s signature use of color was splashed everywhere in bright tones evocative of a farmers’ market: watermelon, pistachio, banana yellow, rose, coral, salmon, lavender and sherbet stripes. Fabrics such as herringbone, plaid, tweed and wool added substance to the collection.
For the first time, Tochterman showed some of her red-carpet gowns, which celebrities have snapped up recently.
—Deborah Belgum
