L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Bon & Ging
Film noir set a standard for the shadow play of dark and mysterious moods. Los Angeles–based Bon & Ging embraced the genre’s tough chicks at its debut show, held March 19 at the Los Angeles Theater Center.
“There was a mystery behind every woman,” said Grace Sullano, who co-designs Bon & Ging with her sister, Nanette. “You wanted to get to know her.”
The sisters showed 12 looks that harked back to film noir’s 1940s zenith. But they did not set out to make period costumes. Their pieces put a modern spin on the aesthetic of the decade, with a loose, contemporary fit and deep, plunging necklines in jackets and dresses.
The mid-century looks were made more mysterious in dark olives, grays and blacks. A blue jacket with an asymmetrical collar was the only bright item in the show. The equestrian look of jodhpur pants and bolero jackets captured the romantic side of the era. And wool jersey dresses, cummerbund belts and trousers put a wearable spin on the collection’s noir mystery. —Andrew Asch
