L.A. Fashion Week Spring '07: Corey Lynn Calter
Designer Corey Lynn Calter found inspiration for the Spring ’07 collection in the 1978 film “Pretty Baby” for her Oct. 16 runway show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
In the film, a pre-teen Brooke Shields is raised in a brothel in 1917 New Orleans. “I was interested in how a young girl perceives being a woman and how she perceives femininity,” said the Los Angeles–based designer, who added that she was as interested in Shields’ character as she was in the adults portrayed in the film.
“These were very strong, independent women at a time when if you did not have a husband, you were an old maid. They were feminist pioneers, in a way,” she said.
The collection had a found-treasure quality to it, as Calter mixed her original prints and girlish styling with crochet and lace that had an heirloom look. The silhouettes ranged from ultra-cute baby-doll dresses, jumpers and shorts ensembles to demure, ladylike dresses with Peter Pan collars and nipped waists.
Among the original prints was a “Doodle Print” designed by a friend of Calter’s who the designer describes as “the best doodler I’ve ever known.” The whimsical print, in an understated neutral and navy colorway, includes images of Calter’s Chihuahuas, hearts, faces, unicorns and skulls. The print coordinated well with the show’s run sheet, designed by Calter’s husband, artist Glenn Kino. The run sheet had the appearance of hand-drawn notes and doodles on a notebook paper. —Alison A. Nieder
