Project Ethos
Project Ethos hosted its annual fashion show and concert March 13, celebrating 12 up-and-coming designers at Avalon in Hollywood. More than 1,200 guests showed up to catch two runway shows, a performance by L.A. band HyperKrush, and live art installations from LabArt Gallery’s Sand-One, Jules Muck and Cyrcle.
Luis Mendoza and Yesica Medina of Luica kicked off the first runway show, celebrating retro ’70s and ’80s looks with black gaucho pants, fringed dresses, and lots of ruffles and sequins. Ermelinda Manos followed with more vintage inspiration. A cropped fur coat and belted ’50s-print dress, lots of sparkly sequins, and sheer lace and chiffon dresses took the audience back to earlier eras, from the ’50s to the ’80s, with sophisticated elegance.
Janean Johnson of JaJo Couture channeled urban cool, including an updated ’80s-punk red leather jacket, a silver-and-black sequined tiger print evening dress and long modern shorts with a loose boatneck blouse.
Wen Guo of Boditecture pulled off one of the night’s most innovative collections with an assortment of transformative pieces that could be changed into different styles. Some of these included a ruffled, strapless pink dress that unwrapped into a magenta mini-dress with a long train; a tank top transformed into a halter dress; and a cropped fur vest that unfolded into a belted long coat. This was followed by designer Danielle Pettee of Danielle the Dress Maker’s ultra-girly collection, which featured a watermelon print, gingham checks, shorts with bustiers, a pink jumper with a parasol, floral dresses and ruffles.
The second fashion show opened with Melissa Velia’s fun, poppy collection of brightly colored dresses in red, white and black newsprint graphics and royal blue-and-gold brocade, followed by Edita Bandaryan’s Edita Collection of luxe body-hugging mini-dresses in rich blue, burgundy, gray and black. Regina Marie Woods’ G. Marie line ranged from soft florals and a floor-length lavender evening gown to an edgy black leather dress paired with a black-and-turquoise jacket.
Catherine Furio’s Furio Apparel was one of the favorites of the night with a series of modern, elegant pieces in Afro-centric tribal prints. A multi-colored yellow-and-black rainbow-print dress and a sheer black blouse accented with black-and-white markings and a red collared necklace were some of the highlights.
Closing the night was Glaudi. Designer Johana Hernandez went straight for ’80s glam with glitzy sequined dresses in vibrant gold, black, neon pink and mint green, channeling fun and sophisticated style.—Deidre Crawford
