L.A. Fashion Week Spring '08: Dina Bar-El
Sultry eveningwear was first and foremost on the runway for Dina Bar-El’s Spring ’08 show, held Oct. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
Known for her sexy silhouettes, Bar-El injected clean, modern looks into her dresses, which evoked designs from the 1950s and the 1980s. Dresses were structured out of silky fabrics and eye-popping colors, such as vivid oranges, husky blues, hot pinks, bright purples and emerald greens.
Bar-El’s theme this season was “Treacute;s Jolie” (French for “very pretty”), taken from her recent walk down the runway at Paris Fashion Week right before Los Angeles’ fashion extravaganza.
“I was so inspired by all the bouquets of flowers in every corner of the Champs Elyseacute;es,” said the German-born Bar-El, who came to the United States when she was 18. “It reminded me of all the colors I already had in the collection. So we decided to go with that theme.”
Bar-El employed satin charmeuse and silk chiffon for most of her creations, which tumbled to the floor or grazed the knee.
Strapless gowns dominated the show, but there were also halter looks, ruched bra bodices, off-the-shoulder numbers and deep V-necks. Goddess-like dresses were abundant, as well.
The show ended with a slinky oyster charmeuse and chiffon wedding gown that could have doubled as an evening gown for a night out at a New York nightclub or a Hollywood movie premiere. —Deborah Belgum
