L.A. Fashion Week Spring '08: Yves Castaldi
Yves Castaldi said he took the inspiration for his Spring ’08 collection from the streets of Los Angeles, New York and the rest of the world. His collection for men and women debuted Oct. 14 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
The French-born designer is hoping to fill a niche in the premium-lifestyle category with his denim-rooted collection. No stranger to the denim world, Castaldi designed at Buffalo and Tag Plus before launching his own line. His Spring ’08 collection had a jet-set feel with chic, minimalist styling, patent-leather status bags and sexy outerwear. Castaldi incorporated lightweight Japanese denim, Italian wool and patent leather into his collections.
Bai Ling opened the show sporting a black cardigan and pants accented with a red patentleather quilted bag and later closed the show in a flirty white mini-dress with a feather trim. Denim was sophisticated with tailored jackets and wide-leg pants. A standout look paired a fitted, cropped pant with a sporty zipped-up jacket that rocked a low-slung belt. Knits were utilized in breezy, open weaves on cardigans and shorter-than-short mini-dresses. And for added sex appeal, bare-chested models walked the runway with sporty jackets left open for dramatic effect. In some cases, such as with a patent-leather jacket worn with sheer white pants with a fluffy feather trim, the collection teetered on the line between sexy and showgirl.
For men, pin-striped jackets layered nicely over trousers, sweaters paired with waxed denim jeans for a look of casual sophistication, and a suit was given a modern tux treatment with John Eckmier volker corel patent-leather details. —N. Jayne Seward
