L.A. Fashion Week Spring '09: Crispin & Basilio
Crispin & Basilio designer Donny Barrios had California in mind when he began designing his Spring 2009 collection, which showed for the first time at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios on Oct. 14 in Culver City, Calif.
On one hand, Barrios wanted to explore the California way of mixing sophisticated and casual clothes in the same outfit.
The Los Angeles–based collection’s angle was also designed for extreme changes in weather experienced by most Californians; baking under the blazing sun in a parking lot one minute, for example, then experiencing the frosty chill of an air-conditioned office building. “It’s a pragmatic way of dressing up,” Barrios said of his line. “But it still has a fantasy aspect.”
In the 21-look show, heavier items such as aviator jackets were matched with lighter-weight gowns. Beaded miniskirts were matched with cardigan sweaters. Barrios used materials such as wool voile, printed-silk chiffon and cotton twills. —Andrew Asch
