Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall '06: Thrive
Things got a little wild at the fashion launch party for new label Thrive. And that’s exactly what the show organizers had in mind.
The March 25 show for the Encino, Calif.-based label was held at Smashbox Studio’s Santa Monica, Calif., location and featured a stilt walker, who unleashed a flurry of live butterflies, and a pair of women wrangling a live panther. And then the fashion show started.
Men and women wearing Thrive’s Fall ’06 collection—dubbed “Rotting Insecurities”—walked on to the runway, disrobed and hung the garments on a clothesline along the wall.
It was all an effort to demonstrate that there is depth below Los Angeles’ superficial image, said designer Jacqueline Lavaun.
The unusual show format left little time to contemplate the clothing, which was tailored, deconstructed and loaded with details like reverse seams, Chinese frog closures and embroidery. Fabrics were smocked, crinkled and gathered to suggest organic materials. Silhouettes included such unusual shapes as a high, ruffled neckpiece on a low-cut blouse. —Alison A. Nieder
