Blonde Ambition
Most of Yana Khromova’s friends went to college after graduating from Peninsula High School, near Southern California’s Palos Verdes Estates, in 2001. But reading Plato and sweating through chemistry courses wasn’t for Khromova. Instead, the blonde designer opened the Yana K boutique on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
Since then, Paris Hilton has been photographed wearing clothes created by the 21-year-old Khromova. In October 2005, the designer plans to introduce her red-carpet line, Exclusive, at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios and to open a store in Tokyo.
Khromova already sells her lines Lari, focused on silk and chiffon pieces; Dari, emphasizing cotton apparel; Lexi, a knit collection; and Vini, which features remakes of vintage apparel, at her Melrose store. The designer manufactures most of these pieces for a limited run.
The 5-foot-5-inch designer said she created many of her fashions to settle a score.“I could never find clothes that fit small girls,” she said. “Now that I have my own line, small girls can finally get clothes that fit them.” —Andrew Asch
