L.A. Fashion Week Spring '07: Kushcush by Kerry Cushman
Los Angeles–based swimwear designer Kerry Cushman mixed things up a bit for her Spring/Summer 2007 collection, shown Oct. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
Using her cute, flirty swimwear as the foundation, Cushman created matching sportswear pieces that could take her customer from a beach bash to a night on the town.
The first half of the show was filled with DayGlo brights and denim embellished with silver foil-print stars, graphic prints of rainbows and unicorns, and heart-shaped buttons.
Standout pieces included a denim apron minidress with ruffled cap sleeves and baby-cord skinny pants with buttons at the ankle. Pairing sportswear with swimwear, Cushman showed a ruffle-sleeved tank in heather gray with the “Flashdance” skirtini, a bikini bottom with a tiny ruffle running around the hip. The designer included a few metallics, including a silver baby-doll dress that tied at the shoulder, as well as some pieces in soft, fluid jersey.
Cushman carried the unicorn graphic into the second half of the show, which included plenty of pieces in black and gold. Highlights included a gold Lurex one-piece pantsuit and a black-and-gold romper.
“I’ve always wanted to do sportswear. I’m passionate about swimwear, but I like to design for all aspects [of a girl’s life],” Cushman said. —Alison A. Nieder
