L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Gen Art
Gen Art kicked off Los Angeles Fashion Week on Oct. 14 with its eighth annual “Fresh Faces in Fashion” event, which drew a crowd of 1,300 people to Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport in Santa Monica, Calif. The non-profit organization, founded to support emerging talent in film, fashion, art and music, teamed with Schick Quattro for Women to present the fashion extravaganza.
bull; Bon & Ging’s designers and sisters Nanette and Grace Sullano paired easy pieces such as tanks with shorts and skirts and drawstring waist jackets with breezy pants in an earthy Southwestern palette of khaki, cream, sage, rust and black.
bull; Geren Lockhart’s collection, Geren Ford, featured simple shapes with graphic stripes and color blocking including striking empire-waist dresses, casual jackets paired with shorts, and sexy modern mini dresses.
bull; Fancy Pony Land’s designer Lorna Leedy decorated her simple tank and skirt silhouettes with whimsical characters inspired by nature and sea life, including sharks, mermaids and jellyfish, as well as guns, skulls and crossbones.
bull; Designer Carol Young merged her architectural background into her Undesigned by Carol Young collection of urban nomadic looks made with a mixture of woven and textured eco-friendly fabrics that featured details such as seaming, piping and decorative stitching.
bull; Elmer Ave. channeled Clark Gable’s classic style with their rock ’n’ roll–inspired menswear, which featured slim, cropped pants and, painted and decorated one-of-akind jackets, which varied in inspiration from to military to gothic.
bull; Katnic swimwear’s super-sexy styles, inspired by swimsuits from the 1960s to 1990s, included a black cutout one-piece decorated with red, yellow and green fringe and a racy leopard one-piece with a narrow-center front and low-slung hips that left little to the imagination.
bull; Outerwear designers Jeanell Suggs and Gladys Tamez expanded into separates for their Franny collection ranging from simple silhouettes like strapless cotton jersey dresses and jumpsuits to sexy rock ’n’ roll–inspired tailored leather jackets paired with shorts and super-tight pants.
bull; The Hazel Brown collection, designed, handmade and dyed by Ali Blankley, included slouchy menswear-inspired suits, a brown bias-cut dress with raw edges and pleated gauze dresses accented with leather shoulder straps and empire waist belts.
In addition to clothing designers, the event recognized accessory designers including vintage-inspired jewelry by Sid Vintage, retro shoes by S&J Shoes, handmade hats by Myla & Co. and luxury leather accessories by Britjeet. —N. Jayne Seward
