Los Angeles Fashion Week Spring '05: David Cardona
After a year of cross-continental commuting as the design director of Italian brand Cerruti, Los Angeles designer David Cardona kept it simple at the presentation of his Spring 2005 collection, held Oct. 28 at The Standard Downtown L.A.
Cardona, whose contract with Cerruti ended earlier this year, agreed to headline the emerging designers’ event sponsored by eBay and Fashion Business Inc. during this season’s Los Angeles Fashion Week. (Cardona was a student of FBI founder Frances Harder when she was an instructor at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.)
Cardona kept to classic Spring silhouettes—showcasing pretty dresses and blouses and sleek, tailored separates and suits—and classic Spring colors, including plenty of white and ecru accented by warm sunset shades and cool green tones.
“Customers right now buy ’day-to-evening’ pieces as opposed to evening gowns,” Cardona said. “We still make [gowns] but only made-to-order or for celebrities to wear on the red carpet.”
The designer showed a halter dress in pale yellow with floral beaded embroidery at the hip and a similar high-neck blouse with the same beading at the neckline. An oatmeal boucleacute; fabric provided just the right amount of swing for a dropped-waist dress with dropped cap sleeves and satin trim.
He used a few select prints to punch up the palette. A V-neck dress and flared skirt was offered in a striking water print featuring deep orange shades. A flowing knee-length flared dress featured a turquoiseand- green watercolor floral print. And a painterly striped print came in cranberry and green.
When it came to the suits, Cardona went for subtlety, keeping the focus on masterful fit. The colors were neutral—white, ivory and oatmeal—and the fit was tailored and slim. —Alison A. Nieder
