L.A. Fashion Week Spring '08: Randolph Duke
Randolph Duke presented his first couture runway collection in seven years on Oct.14, the opening eve of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif. The former designer for Halston, who has clothed a bevy of Hollywood starlets for the red carpet, said nature and his new home in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills neighborhood were really the inspirations for the collection. “I felt like dedicating it to the living earth, because it is pretty precious and I think this heightened consciousness of going green now is not so easy,” said Duke.
The designer presented the 73-piece collection in contrasting black and ivory, shades of gray stone, graphite and quartz, and green iridescent shades of agave, aloe and palm. He used a lot of tulle, netting and lameacute; to help create the illusion of color and sunlight. Duke adapted the palm frond shape to skirts, decorated pantsuits with beaded ferns and added tulle flourishes to gowns to mimic elements of nature.
Red-carpet gowns were stunning such as an empire style in stone silk chiffon with pailettes in vertical stripes. Duke spanned the gamut with other looks such as an embossed leather bra paired with a silk taffeta and tulle skirt that seemed made for a racy sun goddess and a graphite silk organza petal jacket and seed-beaded pant that felt appropriate for a more mature customer. —N. Jayne Seward
