Fall-Winter 2008 from Elmer Ave, Monarchy Collection

Watching the Elmer Ave Fall-Winter 2008 collection lumber slowly down the runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on Wednesday night, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Pandora’s box. Pandora, according to Greek legend, was given a box and told not to open it, which she inevitably did, releasing all the evils of mankind – greed, vanity and envy among them – leaving behind only hope.

In their show dubbed “A Night of Tragic Emotions,” the Elmerites ripped the lid off Smashbox Studios and unleashed a collection arranged around the themes of Hopelessness, Betrayal, Anger and Faith, accompanied by a drummer and guitarist billed as the Devil’s Orchestra.

Aside from the rather literal interpretation (“betrayal” was symbolized by a broken heart with a bullet hole in it, “faith” represented by a Gothic cross), and funeral-procession pacing that was torturous in its own right, it was a solid Fashion Week debut that showcased the North Hollywood collective’s ability to meld skater boy and rock god influences into upscale menswear pieces using a needle and thread and a few cans of spray paint.

In addition to variations of the line’s signature stripe-painted tuxedo jackets, the show served up corset-tight vests, custom leather jackets and velvet blazers painted in stripes and crosshatches, adorned with enough custom crest and sword hardware to trick out a “Harry Potter” sequel.

Most enjoyable were the few custom women’s looks, which Elmer member Jonny Day said were a last-minute addition. They included a white, fitted blazer with an airbrushed broken heart design against black-and-red stripes reminiscent of ’70s-era van art and a lightweight, gray, trench-length jacket with wide, notched lapels screened with black and white stripes and the Elmer Ave street sign logo.

And the “hope” at the bottom of the Smashbox? Now that they’ve strutted their stuff to a wider audience of media and buyers, maybe the boys from over the hill will have the opportunity to expand their shorts, vest and jacket collection.

One local line that has become adept at using the Smashbox tents to showcase its ever-expanding offerings is the Monarchy Collection, and this season was no exception. In a show titled “Streets of Scandinavia,” Eric Kim seemed to be the only designer to remember the winter half of a fall-winter collection (complete with a finale of snowflakes on the runway). This season’s denim was inky dark and raw, with embellishments limited to over-sized stitching and back-pocket detail limited to the Monarchy emblem and the occasional Union Jack design.

Apparently the streets of Kim’s Scandinavia are lined with surplus stores, as the collection was full of military flavor from olive drab and khaki colors to zippered nylon flight jackets and army field jacket silhouettes.

The women’s collection was heavy on belted shirtdresses and tunics and lots of chunky cable knits including scarves, hats, sweaters and button-front ponchos.

Memorable pieces included an army field jacket with a button-fastened back yoke in pinstriped suiting fabric and a leather jacket with a back yoke covered in interwoven, unmated zipper tracks that looked like a handful of futuristic earthworms as envisioned by Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger.

Overall, the collection seemed to truly reflect how the average hip Angeleno dresses and was easily the strongest of the week’s men’s offerings. Furthermore, Monarchy Collection gets kudos for styling the show with a host of West Coast talent including fuzzy sneakers from Vans, hats from Goorin Brothers and mod, chunky frames from L.A. Eyeworks, further underscoring the deep bench of design talent California has to offer.

adam.tschorn.@latimes.com