L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Sew Down
Sew Down is part fashion show, part marketplace—as well as party central. The event took place inside the cavernous space that hosts the biweekly Club Naked on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. The music thundered as scores of hipsters watched a psychedelic light show flash on screens placed on stage near the catwalk. On the floor and the balcony, designers set up racks and tables to sell their collections before and after the show.
Sew Down, now in its sixth season, is normally held at the end of Los Angeles Fashion Week. This time, however, it hit right in the middle, offering a more independent version of fashion than what is normally seen on the runways.
Airbrushed T-shirts and jackets were quite popular among the young designers who displayed their collections. New wave music star Boy George displayed his line, B-Rude, consisting mostly of in-your-face T-shirts screen-printed with sayings such as “Born Again Punk” and “Paris Hilton Sucks.” Boy George’s fashion philosophy is that he designs for people who like their reputations to arrive in the room ahead of them. Other lines included Spectr, Laguna Co., Goodie Two Sleeves, Hornee Industreez, Duff Stuff, Sean Le Paul Designer Vintage, Inavanespi, Naked Clothing and Freddy Rojas.
Two standouts were Euphoria, designed by Sara and Rodrigo Palacios, and Atousa G., designed by Sew Down organizer Atousa G. In Euphoria’s line, Sara Palacios’ hand-painted fabrics showed up in colorful skirts and trimmed and accented knit tops and asymmetrical T-shirts. Atousa G. molded earth tones into wearable designs with clean lines. —Deborah Belgum
