Bayou Hosts Private Show
Los Angeles–based couture designer Bradley Bayou has shown on the runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, but the former Halston designer recently eschewed the large-scale runway show format in favor of a more-intimate setting.
In early December, Bayou hosted a party and private showing of his Spring 2008 couture collection at his home in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles.
The decision to show outside the confines of a formal fashion week made sense with his business model, Bayou said.
“My core business is celebrities and special clients,” he said. “I don’t sell to stores.”
In addition to custom designs for an elite clientele, Bradley also produces a more-mainstream collection for QVC. The designer also recently published a book, “The Science of Sexy,” which is a guide to dressing for a variety of body types.
“My business has taken off,” he said. “I’m adding new lines, [including] interiors. It’s becoming a world brand.”
Bayou keeps the two sides of his business separate, but the designer’s creativity is the common thread that runs through both.
“The couture is a design lab. It’s where I get my ideas,” he said.
The show was scheduled to coincide with the Hollywood awards season, which kicks off in January with the Golden Globes and ends in February with the Academy Awards.
“What better time to show actresses who might be nominated?” Bradley said, adding that the intimate setting and very limited guest list was designed with his clientele in mind.
“Couture is not good for runway because you miss all the details,” he said.
The designer showed a small collection of gowns and cocktail separates. Models snaked through the designer’s living room and out to a patio that overlooked the twinkling lights of Los Angeles. Guests perched on couches and around Bayou’s dining room table admired the details: the row of feathered trim running down the spine of a black wool crepe dress, the obi-like corset on a hand-pleated gown and the origami-like treatment on the collar of a white suit.
The look was luxe from beginning to end, but the drama escalated to the finale, which featured sweeping gowns named in honor of Bayou’s Texas roots. The “Gulf Hurricane” featured swirling layers of blue and aubergine satin. “Clear Blue Sky” trimmed aquamarine Duchesse satin with silver. And “Texas Twister” featured hand-pleated layers of yellow taffeta and tulle.
In February, Bayou will show the collection in a private home in Dallas for a group of women who call themselves “The Fashionistas.”
“I love showing that way,” he said
The designer said he hopes to continue to show in private settings, based on the success of the showing in his own home. “It’s a great sign when a designer has fun at his own party!” —Alison A. Nieder
