L.A. Fashion Week Fall '04: Monah Li
Monah Li is a pioneer of Los Angeles style who helped to define the city’s bohemian look of the 1990s through her one-of-a-kind dresses.
Yet when asked to label the look of her Fall 2004 collection, which debuted on March 31 during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, her lips might as well have been sealed.
“If you can nail your inspirations down, it takes out the mystery to this process,” she said. “Everything in the world inspires me.”
Li’s aesthetic has historically involved mixing up materials from nightgowns, vintage slips and cocktail dresses and deconstructing them into her signature pieces. Her process for the Fall 2004 collection was no different. She used silk, velvet, silk chiffon, metallic materials, cashmere knits, and cotton and rayon knits for her new togs. The colors she favored were burnt orange, chocolate, purple, dark turquoise, gold and ocean blue.
Much of the collection included familiar Monah Li touches, including feminine details and a sexy, form-fitting silhouette. The designer emphasized suits and jackets, showing fitted jackets in spice-colored leather and velvet suiting in shades of burnt orange and grass green. —A.A.
