Capricio Headlines Fashion for a Cure
The fashions of Sterling Capricio took top billing when fashion met philanthropy at the Fashion for a Cure fund-raiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
The Oct. 24 event at the California Market Center fashion theater in Los Angeles was jampacked with activities and entertainment, including a silent auction, musical performances by Suzi Oliver and Pauli Rockwell and the Homewreckers, a student fashion show, an awards presentation, a comedy performance by The Blow Comedy Theater Co., and the Sterling Capricio fashion show.
Sharon Schlesinger, founder of the 4-year-old Fashion for a Cure fund-raiser, introduced actress and breast-cancer survivor Charlotte Stewart, who presented the Pink Ribbon Awards. Honorees included “General Hospital” actor and breast-cancer survivor Leslie Carlson, who was unable to attend the event, and Dr. Barbara Florentine, medical director of pathology at the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Florentine accepted her award and offered a chilling statistic. “Twenty-five women in California are diagnosed with breast cancer every day,” she said, adding that she recently secured a grant that will allow her hospital to begin offering mammograms to women under the age of 40.
The student fashion show included designs by students from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Otis College of Art & Design and Woodbury University. Woodbury graduates Sone Phengthirath, Golnessa Farmanara and Cindy Ayvar were named rising stars for their 4-year-old collection, SoGoCi, which was featured on the runway.
Capricio, who dubbed his collection “Street Couture,” opened his show with fashions that could be easily worn by sexy and sophisticated ladies who lunch. The Los Angeles designer showed his masterful hand at color mixing by presenting sun-drenched shades of fuchsia, tangerine and yellow. Intricately draped and knotted blouses topped satin wide-leg trousers in saturated colors.
Capricio also showed pieces in white raw-edged canvas. In this group, he played with proportion and texture, pairing a cropped, fitted jacket with wide-leg pants and mixing a crisp trench coat with liquid satin pants.
He followed his separates with fluid gowns that were twisted, knotted, layered and draped for a look that recalled the designer’s earlier collections but updated in bright shades, recolored animal-print montage patterns and diaphanous fabrics for Spring. Among the best were a turquoise-and-red hibiscus dress with a sarong-style skirt and a white halter dress printed with whimsical oversize red apples. —Alison A. Nieder
