L.A. Fashion Week Fall '04: Latin Factory 3
Up-and-coming and established Latin designers were on the runway at Latin Factory 3, a fashion show and benefit for Bienestar, a Southern California nonprofit organization that provides bilingual support and assistance to Latinos with HIV or AIDS.
KWHY-TV’s “Cafeacute; California” host Chris Franco and LA-TV’s Tricia Cruz served as emcees for the evening, which kicked off with local salsa dance troupe Dance L.A.
On the runway, Glaza designers Marina Toybina and Ashton Hirota conjured a post-apocalyptic eclectic cool with their one-of-a-kind, edgy pieces for men and women. Coats and vests were fitted and cutaway. T-shirts were offered in draped and cowl-neck versions. There were raw-edged kilts for men and a trumpet skirt with beaded fringe for women.
Luis Monge for Monge Clothing showed tweed wrap tops over pencil skirts, kimono-style tops over wrap skirts, a red mohair sweater with long cuffs and a gray sundress with pink piping.
Timoteo designer and West Hollywood retailer Timoteo O’Campo showed menswear with unusual details. He offered a short-sleeved shirt with large fold-over cuffs, a slim-fitting suit in indigo denim and a motocross- style jacket in red suede.
Hot Sauce designer Frank Morales showed lingerie-inspired daywear styles, including ruffled black lace dresses and white and cream lace dresses with back trim.
It was everything ’80s for Hilda Marquez’s collection of stretch separates in black, white and nearly-neon brights. Pants had attached belts with contrast piping, and tops had geometric appliqueacute;s in bright colors.
Mantilde;az designer Tony Iniguez went theatrical with a striped dress with an orange breast piece that appeared to be made from molded plastic. He updated a striped Victorian-style dress with a cropped jacket and a long slim skirt. For the truly uninhibited, he showed a long black vinyl dress accessorized with chains and opened at the back to expose the buttocks.
It was all feminine and formal for Rory Castillo and Gerardo Reyes. Castillo showed red formal dresses with black lace, gold lameacute; and turquoise satin trimmed with gold paisleys. Reyes’ dresses came in pastel shades and featured handkerchief hems and Fortuny-esque pleats. —A.A.N.
