L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Kelly Nishimoto
Designer Kelly Nishimoto got her first sewing machine at age 11 as a gift from her father. She’s been creating clothes ever since.
This relative newcomer to the Los Angeles fashion scene is best known for her corseted tops integrated into dresses and skirts that have been seen on the red carpet. But she has expanded her repertoire, as seen in her Spring/Summer ’06 collection previewed Oct. 19 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios. Only four of her 29 looks incorporated corsets.
“I am really trying to get people back to dressing like women but with comfort,” said the Georgia native, who moved to Los Angeles nearly five years ago. “Everything I have in the collection feels like pajamas and looks like heaven.”
Using vintage T-shirt fabric and stretch silk, Nishimoto served up elegant designs that appeared comfortable enough to be loungewear. There were long, flowing hooded dresses, backless blouses, drawstring pants and strapless jumpsuits.
One of Nishimoto’s signature touches was the ruched pocket, placed on the back of pants or the front of tops. The theme spilled over to sleeveless racer tops with ruched backs. Nishimoto’s colors varied from baby blues and teals to champagne pinks and grays. —Deborah Belgum
