Some amateur-hour moments at L.A.'s rowdy runways
L.A. FASHION WEEK
Suh-Tahn, Joseph Domingo, Veronika Jeanvie.
On Monday, Shannon Nataf and Dimitry Tcharfas, the duo behind the 3-year-old Suh-Tahn label, presented a collection of architecturally inspired looks that was among the most promising at Smashbox Studios thus far this week. Ruby Stewart -- sister of onetime Paris Hilton sidekick Kim, daughter of onetime rocker Rod -- opened the presentation in a demure pair of skinny black silk pants and a cropped, textured wool jacket. The designers incorporated paneled leather into asymmetrical pieces. One jacket with multilayer shoulders resembled the Art Deco facade of the Chrysler Building. There were tank tops with interestingly shaped cutouts in the back, paired with matte silk jodhpurs. Nevermind that some of it felt over-designed.
The architectural calm of the clothes was a contrast to the runway mayhem, with what seemed to be an intentional flashing by one cocky model. Later in the show, the cheers of a catwalker's front-row fan club nearly caused her to break a smile. (Heaven forbid!)
Amateur moments occurred at Joseph Domingo too, where one model strutted in an unbuckled shoe, another in an unbuttoned blouse. It only added to the chaos of the collection of mismatched velvet and leopard-print evening wear.
Come nightfall, guests took to the lobby's bar like horses to a trough. But instead of Champagne, fashion's unofficial beverage, revelers slurped fruity mixed drinks from plastic cups. One brazen soul even managed to sneak her cocktail past the closely guarded entrance of Veronika Jeanvie's main stage show.
The young Ukrainian designer worked with style legend Paco Rabanne on a fall collection of blindingly flashy pieces. A gold mini dress of the same chain-mail mesh for which Rabanne is famous showed his influence on the line. But he and any mention of his efforts were absent come show time. Sources close to the designer said there was a dust-up between fashion conglomerate Puig, owner of the Rabanne name, and the designer, preventing him from leaving Paris.
Jeanvie's iridescent, bedazzled, glittered creations resembled bad "Ice Capades" costumes. And in case anyone forgot they were at Fashion Week, a fellow guest was there to blurt out a reminder: "Does anyone know where the after party is?"
erin.weinger@latimes.com
