L.A. Fashion Week Spring '08: Christian Audigier
Christian Audigier set the scene for his Oct. 16 Parisian military-themed show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif., with an enormous mock-up of the Eiffel Tower and a young girl crooning “La Vie en Rose.” The designer, who also designs the tattoo-tinged Ed Hardy line, rocked the boat last season with his over-the-top runway presentations featuring his more-is-more aesthetic—and he delivered more of the same for Spring 2008.
Audigier sent jazzed-up casual staples for guys and girls down the catwalk. T-shirts featured layers and layers of tattoo-inspired screen prints, foil treatments, studding and embroidery. Denim fluctuated between dark and medium washes, but all of it was peppered with tonal and rainbow-hued studs and grommets. Jersey dresses focused on easy silhouettes and busy graphics, including animal prints and graffiti scrawl. Dressier pieces for women included a short-sleeved leather blazer and a pleated satin skirt. Men’s styles bounced from casual allover print hoodies and slim shorts to crisp military-style woven shirts and tailored pants.
Audigier—who peppered the entire collection with recurring hand-grenade, crown and rose images—couldn’t resist a bit of risqueacute; edge. He showed models wearing skimpy lingerie beneath army-green anoraks and guys wearing camouflage-print briefs under leather ponchos bearing the American flag or rhinestone-studded marijuana leaves. —E.B.
