Rudi Gernreich

No one embodies the spirit of Mod quite like Peggy Moffitt, L.A.'s own 1960s-era muse. Moffitt, model and collaborator with modernist designer Rudi Gernreich, appears in a number of memorable images from the period, including this black-and-white gem from "Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?" the 1966 cult French film by director and photographer William Klein that is a satirical send-up of the fashion industry. Seated at the far left, Moffitt, plays herself. She appears in only two scenes in the film, including this one, depicting a group of young models dressed in stripes, against a backdrop of stripes, applying their Kabuki-like makeup.

One of the great joys of being a fashion critic is the ability to observe how designers all over the world riff on and reinterpret the L.A. look. Watching the spring runway collections, whether I was sitting at a runway show in the crumbling Beekman Palace in New York City or at a 13th century convent in Paris, I was dreaming of California. It wasn't just homesickness, though after weeks on the road, that could have been part of it. I was thinking about how the clothes would play here, how they might have been influenced by the vision of casual luxe that California has exported to the world, and how they might have been inspired by the landscape, art, architecture and attitude of this incredible place.

Now that the Sept. 11 attacks have made the materialistic, celebrity-fueled fashion scene seem all the more frivolous, it could be time for another Rudi Gernreich moment. The Austrian-born designer, who died in Los Angeles in 1985, is perhaps best known for creating sensational pieces such as the topless bathing suit and the thong. But he was more than a 1960s-era agent provocateur.

No one embodies the spirit of Mod quite like Peggy Moffitt, L.A.'s own 1960s-era muse. Moffitt, model and collaborator with modernist designer Rudi Gernreich, appears in a number of memorable images from the period, including this black-and-white gem from "Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?" the 1966 cult French film by director and photographer William Klein that is a satirical send-up of the fashion industry. Seated at the far left, Moffitt, plays herself. She appears in only two scenes in the film, including this one, depicting a group of young models dressed in stripes, against a backdrop of stripes, applying their Kabuki-like makeup.

Like many designers from the past, Rudi Gernreich is gone, but not forgotten. Elizabeth Mason, owner of the West Hollywood vintage clothing store the Paper Bag Princess, celebrated a move to larger quarters and the discovery of a large, pristine collection of authentic Gernreichs with a recent party attended by collectors hip to the fact that some old clothes now dwell in the rarefied world of art and antiques, steadily increasing in value.

She's back--the pale face, the cap of hair, the harlequin eyes, the mime poses in designer fashions. An icon of the '60s, here again thanks to the revival of "retro fashion." But wait: The clothes are the interest, aren't they? The model, Peggy Moffitt, is wearing designs by the late Rudi Gernreich, whose Pop / Op / mini fashions defined the decade.

Fashion exhibitions at museums, like the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" show that set attendance records at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011, are more popular than ever. Here is a selection of what's on now and what's coming soon, in the U.S. and abroad. Diana Vreeland After Diana Vreeland | Dedicated to the style and passion of the late fashion icon, editor, traveler and Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute curator. Vreeland also worked as a special consultant to the museum from 1972 to the time of her death in 1989, setting the international standard for costume exhibitions.

Cameron Silver, owner of the vintage shopping institution Decades, has spent the last 15 years teaching Hollywood and the fashion world that what's old is new. And now he has written a book on the subject. "Decades: A Century of Fashion" (Bloomsbury, $60) , co-written with Rebecca DiLiberto, is the colorful story of 20th century fashion and trends told decade by decade, through more than 200 images of celebrity style icons and designer clothing. In the introduction, Silver explains that he started his career as a cabaret singer and came to fashion accidentally: After stumbling upon so many gently-used treasures during his travels while on tour as a performer, he eventually decided to open a shop to sell them in a high-end setting.

One of the great joys of being a fashion critic is the ability to observe how designers all over the world riff on and reinterpret the L.A. look. Watching the spring runway collections, whether I was sitting at a runway show in the crumbling Beekman Palace in New York City or at a 13th century convent in Paris, I was dreaming of California. It wasn't just homesickness, though after weeks on the road, that could have been part of it. I was thinking about how the clothes would play here, how they might have been influenced by the vision of casual luxe that California has exported to the world, and how they might have been inspired by the landscape, art, architecture and attitude of this incredible place.

It has been 21 years since Rudi Gernreich devised the topless swimsuit, and still the controversy rages. The swimsuit has outlived Gernreich, who died April 21, and it will probably outlive everyone reading this, because it has been sealed in a time capsule (between a birth control pill and a Bible) that will not be exhumed for generations. The controversy now is whether the topless will be shown on a model (live and bare breasted) at the Gernreich retrospective Aug. 13 at the Wiltern Theatre.

Cameron Silver, owner of the vintage shopping institution Decades, has spent the last 15 years teaching Hollywood and the fashion world that what's old is new. And now he has written a book on the subject. "Decades: A Century of Fashion" (Bloomsbury, $60) , co-written with Rebecca DiLiberto, is the colorful story of 20th century fashion and trends told decade by decade, through more than 200 images of celebrity style icons and designer clothing. In the introduction, Silver explains that he started his career as a cabaret singer and came to fashion accidentally: After stumbling upon so many gently-used treasures during his travels while on tour as a performer, he eventually decided to open a shop to sell them in a high-end setting.

When most people think of Vidal Sassoon, who died Wednesday at age 84, they think Carnaby Street. But he also had a role in shaping Los Angeles as a city of style. "He opened a salon on Rodeo Drive when Beverly Hills was just coming of age among trendsetters," says Rose Apodaca, author and former Los Angeles bureau chief of Women's Wear Daily. "And he saw Los Angeles as this exciting place where rules were being broken. We know about swinging London; he saw Los Angeles as an extension of that.

Fashion exhibitions at museums, like the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" show that set attendance records at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011, are more popular than ever. Here is a selection of what's on now and what's coming soon, in the U.S. and abroad. Diana Vreeland After Diana Vreeland | Dedicated to the style and passion of the late fashion icon, editor, traveler and Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute curator. Vreeland also worked as a special consultant to the museum from 1972 to the time of her death in 1989, setting the international standard for costume exhibitions.

William Claxton is best known for five decades of photographing the greats of the jazz world. Less known is Claxton's fashion work with Rudi Gernreich, whose topless bathing suit and other designs made him one of the top fashion names of the 1960s.

Now that the Sept. 11 attacks have made the materialistic, celebrity-fueled fashion scene seem all the more frivolous, it could be time for another Rudi Gernreich moment. The Austrian-born designer, who died in Los Angeles in 1985, is perhaps best known for creating sensational pieces such as the topless bathing suit and the thong. But he was more than a 1960s-era agent provocateur.

Like many designers from the past, Rudi Gernreich is gone, but not forgotten. Elizabeth Mason, owner of the West Hollywood vintage clothing store the Paper Bag Princess, celebrated a move to larger quarters and the discovery of a large, pristine collection of authentic Gernreichs with a recent party attended by collectors hip to the fact that some old clothes now dwell in the rarefied world of art and antiques, steadily increasing in value.

On the face of it, it looks as if this could be the end for I. Magnin. Parent company R.H. Macy & Co. this week announced that six of its 19 Magnin stores will close. Magnin CEO Joe Cicio says it is the result of "re-visualizing." But it sounds like store-speak for less expensive quality, safer styles and fewer salesclerks. Sherman Oaks, La Jolla, Santa Barbara and other dead wood--going going, gone within 60 days.

When most people think of Vidal Sassoon, who died Wednesday at age 84, they think Carnaby Street. But he also had a role in shaping Los Angeles as a city of style. "He opened a salon on Rodeo Drive when Beverly Hills was just coming of age among trendsetters," says Rose Apodaca, author and former Los Angeles bureau chief of Women's Wear Daily. "And he saw Los Angeles as this exciting place where rules were being broken. We know about swinging London; he saw Los Angeles as an extension of that.

She's back--the pale face, the cap of hair, the harlequin eyes, the mime poses in designer fashions. An icon of the '60s, here again thanks to the revival of "retro fashion." But wait: The clothes are the interest, aren't they? The model, Peggy Moffitt, is wearing designs by the late Rudi Gernreich, whose Pop / Op / mini fashions defined the decade.

On the face of it, it looks as if this could be the end for I. Magnin. Parent company R.H. Macy & Co. this week announced that six of its 19 Magnin stores will close. Magnin CEO Joe Cicio says it is the result of "re-visualizing." But it sounds like store-speak for less expensive quality, safer styles and fewer salesclerks. Sherman Oaks, La Jolla, Santa Barbara and other dead wood--going going, gone within 60 days.