LA is more than just a location; it's a lifestyle and even a state of mind! Come check out the "LA Story" for what's hot in fashion, beauty, events, stores, sales, places to go and what's going on as I cruise through life in LA -LA Land!
Say the name Carolina Herrera and it conjures up a vision of style and timeless fashion, yet with a sense of vitality and fun.
Lace Cocktail Dress- Saks Fifth Avenue
Style.com, photograph by Marcio Madeira
When you see the Herrera runway show, it shows off the elegance and subtle wit that Mrs. Herrera herself has.
Style.com, photograph by Marcio Madeira
While she works with a team of designers, her personal imprint is featured on everything- from the bags to the shoes. Everything comes across the desk of Carolina Herrera.
Recently Mrs. Herrera and her daughter Carolina were in Los Angeles to celebrate the launch of the CH Carolina Herrera store in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa Calif.
Carolina Herrera (daughter) and Mrs. Carolina Herrera
The CH Carolina Herrera store is a departure from the Herrera atelier on Melrose Place.
This new store is about a lifestyle-- the Carolina Herrera vision of life and the things that are essential to the Carolina Herrera customer.
Featuring products for men, women and even children along with personal accessories like luggage to desk essentials, there is something for everyone.
Carolina Herrera and Carolina Jr. talk about CH Carolina Herrera, fashion, style, the Melrose Place atelier and the growth of her brand.
There is a great deal in the CH Carolina Herrera stores that warrant checking one out. The photos below are but a few things that are in the CH stores and it's definitely "guy friendly" and well worth a look -- because a girl is sure to find something she would want to take with her from the lovely little Bimba Bags
to an assortment of adorable ballet flats adorned with the CH logo
The CH Carolina Herrera Agenda
the Bryant bag and
the CH Alice Bags are hot sellers
This cool ostrich leather bangle bracelet is to die for!
and the Mil Lagos bags come in a variety of colors
The Positano bag and shoes are killer additions to anyone's wardrobe.
While you might not always visit a Carolina Herrera Atelier-- you would definitely want to shop the CH Carolina Herrera because it's so comfy, cozy and warm. It's a fun place to shop and full of great goodies and hard to resist.
I think Mrs. Herrera has a winner here.
LA Story and Fashiontribes.com would like to thank Mrs. Herrera and Carolina Herrera Jr for this interview. It was really enjoyable to speak to both Mrs. Herrera and her daughterCarolina. Many thanks to Phoebe Gubelman and Alana Kulig for their assistance in setting this interview up and for all the phenomenal photos.
Sources say that BOULEVARD3 was THE place to be during LAFW. I mean THE PLACE to be. 944 Magazine was there and snapping photos -- and the photo credit definitely goes to them for sticking around and taking photos of the guests. You won't find me and the bffs there-- we weren't "anyone" that they recognized.
What was funny was that good friend and PR extraordinare AVO YERMAGYAN of Gaudy PR was hosting an event at BOULEVARD3 on Thursday, March 26 which was a SMASH!
Yermagyan' s Pinque Cirque featured BLOKE by Jerell Scott and House of Doll by Brett Bailey was building such a buzz during the week that people were calling offering bribes to get tickets to attend this "must see and be seen at" event.
I was assured by Avo that I would be in VIP section-- so I made sure I got a couple of friends to go too and it was LINES out the door and around the block to get into the club.
Parking was a freaking nightmare. By the time we got to the door. and got waved in (the checker was just wiped out. She only asked if Avo invited us. *big duh)-- so we were in.
Avo Yermagyan/Gaudy PR and Kim Kardashian (in order of appearance) Thanks to Kevin Parry, photographer! (big hugs)
Inside was a courtyard with a fountain and right smack in the middle of it, a 20 foot woman in a room-filling black gown. It was an incredible sight. She did have a companion – an equally tall man in gray pants – but he was mobile, while she was confined to the wading pool.
On the edges of the pool stood male models in scruffy couture. Sort of contemporary grunge mixed with some couture effects-- I think one of my friends described it as “Derelique”-- a la Zoolander. Since we missed the first runway show, we weren't sure whose designs they were but we figured they were Bloke designs.
To the left, was a cotton candy machine which Jennifer could not resist! Girls with trays strapped around their necks were handing out energy drinks which we passed on those items. There were also little cubbies or niches where people could sit. These were occupied by models and artwork, the most notable of which was a religious scene with a gorgeous male model meant to resemble Jesus, sitting on a throne. (Comment reserved here because we don't want to offend, but the guy was gorgeous. I gotta stop there.)
Since the first show was over and the second one had yet to start, the room was filled with peopl--there was no longer any room to get into the VIP section--there was no longer any room to move!
It was PACKED. P _A_C_K_E_D!!! I knew that it was going to be about a thousand people, I knew I could find Avo out of a 1000.. that's not hard. But THREE THOUSAND? NOT A CHANCE IN HELL could I find him. So my promise of showing up was for nothing (and I missed out on a goody bag too)
I left my bff's -- "the Jalapeno" and her friend -- there to party on and enjoy the show. ( I was driving just over an hour each way so it was not worth hassling the crowds), So the description that follows is based on a detailed note and more questions from me to the Jalapeno about what happened.
We made our way inside, which felt like Charlie’s first view of the Chocolate Room in Willy Wonka. There were three enormous chocolate fountains – one brown, one white, and the largest one pink! There were marshmallows, pretzels and juicy strawberries to dip. There were also big bowls of red licorice, hot tamales, jelly beans, all kinds of candy. It was a nightmare (only because I’m dieting!)-- or it was a candylovers dream.. which now makes me (Stevie) sorry I left).
The main room was a long rectangle with a second floor balcony all the way around--shaped like a huge U. The runway jutted out into the middle of the room. The VIP area was upstairs in the balcony. The only celebrity I am sure I saw was the guy from Borat (Ken Davitian). My friend thinks she saw Maria Conchita Alonso, but we're not sure (and I could not verify--Stevie).
We paid for our cosmos and looked around for goodie bags. I saw one pink bag and snuck a look inside but it was empty. I’m not sure what we missed out on there. Sad -huh!!
Almost right on time, the House of Doll show started. All I can say is: WOW.The show featured Cirque de Soleil dancers which were amazing. First, two impossibly gorgeous male models walked to the end of the runway. Then a ballerina came out, which would have been interesting enough, but was made more so by the mouse (or pig?) nose taped to her face. She moved in a way that suggested she was a “wind-up” doll from a jewelry box.
Suddenly a slew of scantily clad dancers came running onto the stage. I could never describe the way they danced, you’d have to see it. It was almost violent. They were like angry muses-- all dressed in black, thrashing and kicking. Their hair and makeup lent to this perception: they had enormous black eyelashes and huge hair that resembled black or blond flames (think 1980's but not cheesy, more artsy).
When they retreated backstage, the ballerina who had been watching all along, opened the huge runway door and the models appeared one by one, which made the ballerina look very pleased.
The models were stunning, with enormous eyelashes and fussy hair – most had their hair fashioned into huge bows! (I am sure the hair-bows were hair extensions but they looked very real.) Their makeup was very bold, very pink. They wore tags on their wrists that said Doll.
I’m sure you want to know about the designs, but unfortunately, most have escaped my memory. They were beautiful, interesting and artistic but wearable pretty much for parties or red carpet only. There were a lot of unfinished seams, heart-shaped appliqués, intricate straps. One dress that stuck with me was a blue and yellow striped gown that was almost like an upside-down daffodil. (the dress was actually a riff on an umbrella upside down--Stevie)
House of Doll Designer Brett Bailey Busses his Muse, Kim Kardashian. Photo by Kevin Parry . (We heart you greatly)
After the show, I (the Jalapeno speaking) saw a flamboyant guy in patent leather platform boots, wearing a t-shirt that said “TOUCH ME, I’M PLASTIC” on the front and “I’M FAKE” on the back. I thought it was Bobby Trendy but can’t be sure. ( It was Bobby Trendy--Stevie) I did try to touch him for a photo but he ignored me.
Before we left, we decided to see if there were goodie bags left in the VIP area. We walked right up the stairs without anyone stopping us, but most of the crowd up there had cleared out. Tons of people were lingering by the fountain though, so we stayed there for a while then headed home.
It was a really great night.
Who was there:
Kim Kardashian,
Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kim (again)
Tracy Bingham,
Bai Ling,
Ken Davitian (Borat),
Phoebe Price,
Bobby Trendy
Missing the photo for: Katherine Bayliss, Matthew Fashion,
Carolina Baccardi--she walked the catwalk for the shows,
Chudney Ross who hosted the Bloke Show,
Alex Quinn
Here's a "photoshopped image" of the Jalapeno-- photoshopped to protect the innocent -- and the guilty. She's really quite stunning
Let's put it this way.. this party was smokin' haute and hot. EVERYONE was talking about it the next day because it had three thousand people.
Food? Was there food? I gather there was food: imported peanuts and Peroni Nastro Azzuro, cotton candy cocktails, cotton candy and chocolate covered confections in several colors. (Who knew there were that many colors? Did Yermagyan leave any for anyone else in LA?)
DJ Splyce had the music cranking so hot that people did not leave till 3AM and it was smoking haute partying in the room. People didn't want to leave because the music was too fabulous.
What was funny was that Paris Hilton walked the 944 Magazine show featuring 2 Be Free on Monday for the opening of LAFW. It was nice party. However this party closed LAFW and this one exploded into a frenzy of amazing buzz and fun which I gather now blew the lid off the Paris Hilton vs Kim Kardashian friendship which seems to have gone kaput .. since this event.
*Shrug* Who knows why? Could it be that this event where Kardashian walked the runway for Pinque Cirque coupled with the release of her "sexpose' tape" hitting the streets beat Paris at her own game? It seems that Kardashian "out-walked" Hilton on the runway --both for fashion and for PR spin. Thoughts? HMMMMMMMMMMM?
FRIDAY APRIL 20, 2007 MERLIN CASTELL -Fashion Designer To The Stars-
Designer Merlin Castell is best known for his Haute Couture tailor-fitted jackets crafted from highly unusual fabrication. Mr. Castell's extraordinary pieces are highly sought after by celebrities in the televsion, film and music industries.
The Merlin Castellline has major hip factor ranking and has become the most talked about designer collections. From Castell's Metro Wear ranging in prices from $150-$1,000.00 to his custom made and couture garments that sell for tens of thousands of dollars, Castell creations have been seen on shows like THE O.C. and on numerous celebrities including Lenny Kravitz and Paris Hilton.
This cutting-edge designer has recently been voted "One OF The Top Ten Designers To Watch" by The Pool Trade Show. Born in Honduras, Castell has an innate affinity for fashion and a keen eye for style.Castell never dreamed that he would be so fortunate as to craft a career out of what he loves doing the most. "My journey has been extremely magical".
Castell started off as an architecture major in college, but was then redirected by a professor who recognized young Castell's true talent and he chose to follow his passion.
"I studied fashion in Mexico, where my style was compared to Frida Khalp.I the continued my studies in Italy where my specialty was working with leather, but there were times I couldn't afford it. I then started applying my ideas to fabric, which became the beginnings of my signature style.
During the late 90's Castell, finishing his studies and his work in Milan was proving to be quite talented. Moving to the United States, Castell landed a job at Hot Kiss, then moved to the "hot" store Red Balls as head designer. Castell designed for celebrities Paula Abdul, N'Sync. Marilyn Mason and the magic keeps flowing.
See Merlin Castell and his magical collection at
Montmarte Lounge Hollywood 6757 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 Cross Streets Hollywood and Highland DOORS OPEN 9:00PM OPEN BAR 9:30-10:30PM~ SPONSORED BY SILK VODK Castell Show starts: 10:30 PM
Red Carpet Arrivals, VIP Bottle Service Available ~For Celebrity or VIP Services Please Call: 323.465.5369~
A moment after the first model with her eyes taped shut strutted casually on the runway at Joseph Domingo’s March 20th LA Fashion Week show, it was clear to us that the designer had intended the models to appear like walking mannequins. We got it immediately and we thought it was very clever. In fact we are sure that this particular effect was designed to grab the audience’ attention and rivet their focus. So, we just had to applaud the playfulness of this maneuver since we are fashionistas and adore pure audacity.
We were advised that the show was themed as Black+Red=Chocolate, so we knew in advance that Domingo was going to seduce us through our favorite addictions: fashion and chocolate and we were prepared to see if this collection could in fact titillate our fashion taste buds. Here are our favorites ---
First of all, this collection had an abundance of wearable clothes. But more importantly we were suddenly excited by the appearance of pieces in a passionate, bold red and willingly surrendered to a case of high fashion “scarlet fever” as an allergic reaction to the cool muted pastels and metallics in every other collection.
A chic double-breasted wool coat with black buttons and piping looked very street smart for those chillier nights in LA, and any time in London or New York. The craftsmanship reminded us of our orders from the better bespoke Saville Row tailors that we visited when were in London. So, it was no surprise when Domingo confided to us privately during a backstage interview that, “London is one of my favorite cities… and of course… I worked for a company that manufactured jackets and coats many years ago.”
The coat paired with the matching sleeveless dress made sense in Los Angeles and will easily do double duty over skinny jeans and boots in New York. Either way, this ensemble is almost inseparable. Today, the red dress has truly evolved from a Valentine’s Day staple. It is a bona fide fashion statement about flare and confidence and as Domingo explained, “aside from the little black dress these days the little red dress is emerging as the new MUST HAVE.”
Our list of the best of the black begins with a sweet scoop necked brocade sleeveless “little black dress” with black ribbon that would well both day or night with the right coat and a change of accessories.
Domingo makes night dressing easy and comfortable with the black satin pairing of a loose fitting top cut to reveal smooth shoulders with loose fitting trousers belted with a satin bow cut low enough to reveal the tip of your six pack, if you have one.
A satin charcoal gray mini evening dress adorned with black beading hinted at Domingo ‘s Pilipino heritage, which he says, “puts a drop of Spanish influence into every collection.”
And, was fully realized in a glorious black lace evening dress with a tail fit for a Tango or a VIP After Party at a bull fight. Ole’
Amidst Monday nights fashion media circus of LA Fashion Week angels waited patiently in the lobby for refreshment…
…while inside the subterranean lit Main Tent the catwalk was being carefully strewn with human bones for the LA Premiere Designer Tara Subkoff’s Imitation of Christ.
Subkoff has returned to her Goth Club roots with a sophisticated spin on club wear now tailored for the more grown-up Brides of Dracula.
Countess Dracula clad models swathed in dagger emblazoned silk frocks talked casually on cell phones perhaps planning an intimate dinner for 100 members of the Armies of Darkness.
Femininity spiced with a hard edge was emphasized all the more by black leather stilettos on every outfit stating that underneath it all that these women meant business.
As the strains of classic Bauhaus serenaded an audience of smiling onlookers we detected a fang or two glinting in the half-light and were pleased with the stylishness of the undead…
Meanwhile, signature black leather swam amidst a parade of beaded white, black and gold dresses, deconstructed blouses and a hooded black cape with high-waisted velvet pants that evoked a grown-up Little Red Riding Hood smiling provocatively through vampire black lips in search of her next “wolf.”
A fitted black sweater framed by a heavy metallic collar worn with high-waisted skinny rocker jeans seemed fit for a fatal attraction.
By far the most provocative pieces were the see-through evening and cocktail dresses highlighted by a gold-beaded cocktail sheath accented by a huge black cross hanging down the model's back and an especially sparkly revealing white gown with “A-N-G-E-L-I-N-A J-O-L-I-E” written all over it. Front row actress fans included Elisha Cuthbert, Ali Larter, Ginnifer Goodwin and Ione Skye next to musician Ben Lee. Fave gift bag swag was Smashbox’s caviar cream eyeliner with brush for ancient Egyptian eyes a la Queen of the Damned.
There were a few great shows at LA Fashion Week. One of them was a stand-out because where in previous seasons, denim lines dominated the runway, this season there was hardly any denim on the runway as a collection.
The sole denim line featured was Oligo Tissew line has always been about denim as a fabric piece and not the raison d'etre for the line-- meaning it has a full formed collection of tops and bottoms that have serious fashion sense.
Here's a collection of shots that shows you that Christopher Enuke knows what he is doing-- not just with jeans but knits, jackets, pants, denim treatments so that they aren't just your basic jeans-- but he creates unique -- and wearable-- fashion that would work on both coasts!
Photos Courtesy of IMG Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.
What you can't see close up is the pinstripe on the pants.. and the jacket is a nicely tailored piece that could be layered with a pencil skirt over a long cashmere sweater.
Waxed denim treated with metallic color suddenly loses the denim effect and becomes something else-- something unique and definitely wearable both day and night-- particularly in LA. Dress it up for holiday with a velvet jacket or some shimmering iridiscent halter top or drop a casual tee to tough it up as Enuke has done here.
A great coat-- while I personally don't love plaids, this one works with the tucked in jeans and it sets off the print tee. It's about fall and Enuke clearly has a collection that shows all aspects and not just mini-dresses
Pieces work together or separately.. and he's married colors that others might think won't work but they work beautifully because of the contrast of the textures.
Perfect fall textures and colors-- even though it's yellow, it's an LA vibe.
Yummy oatmeal sweater sweetened with horizontal stripes and a dusty lavender tee
Oligo Tissew at its best.. one of the most autumnal collections that actually work day and night with a true wit and inspiration that makes it practical for Angelenos and those on the "right " versus the "left" coast.
With LA Fashion week now over, it's time to give you the soundbites and general impressions of the Fashiontribes writers who were flung across the city --from Smashbox/IMG in Culver City to Boxeight to Kitten Shows at the Standard in Downtown LA and other collections being shown at trendy hot spots across the "scene" of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. There are shows still being shown at the California Mart (Single for one who was much missed at Smashbox)
What's the "down -lo " on LAFW? Please note that these are opinions and feedback from not only me but from other writers who were covering the scene. The IMG/Smashbox show schedule was the thinnest schedule seen in many a season-- despite the inclusion of t-shirt lines that don't have a full collection to show and there weren't the numbers of denim lines hitting the runway seen in previous year.
IMG/Smashbox decided to bring the design suites onsite and thus it cut into the number of venues available from 3 to 2 and also cut the number of chairs available by 90-150 less per show than previous seasons. While designers were asked to cut the number of non-essential guests (D list celebs etc) to allow for press, PR firms were hard pressed to get media into the shows because of the number of celeb "friends" and the number of press covering shows was greatly increased because there were fewer shows on site. Unfortunately-- the media lost and even I didn't get invited to shows like Collection Bebe despite my print and online coverage overlaps. Not the PR firm's fault that they ran out of seats. Another Fashiontribe writer was turned away from the Joseph Domingo show because it was full and no standing room available. *sigh*..
However, there was no lack for off-site locations if one wanted to head down to the Standard for the Kitten Shows which were launching a slew of new designers
While it never rains in LA according to my east coast contacts, it did rain in LA on Tuesday of LAFW and that made people scarce during the day and thus one could actually find onsite parking without having to valet the car or hit the parking structure almost 2 miles away and wait for the shuttle bus. However the amount of available street parking was a bad sign for attendance at the daytime shows which started at 1 PM. Even the design suites weren't getting the traffic one would have expected.
What happened to this Fall 2007 LAFW? I can't say. By cutting down on the number of chairs available and limiting standing space from extremely limited to nil in some shows. It was tough running from Culver City to Sunset and across to downtown if one was attending the www.kittenfashionweek.com
At Kitten Fashionweek, there were many new lines but 2 I knew of were KushCush-- a swimwear line that's sweet and sassy that's branched out to ready to wear that shows off in metallic side of things. ( Will Robinson where are you?).
Octavio Carlin was interesting.. but needs seasoning.
Krel is a line I am familiar with and it's a great knitwear line that's got unique ideas and textures.
However the same problem that I saw with IMG's LAFW in most lines was also evident in Kitten Fashionweek which was a lack of actual clothing that had fall in mind (trousers, pants, jackets, sweaters, coats) and not just shorts, minis, crop jackets and mini-dresses. As one stylist said "what were they thinking? This is Fall 2007? It's just mini dresses. Where is the clothing for fall?".
Another spot downtown running shows that were competitive in timing and location to the kItten shows and the other non Smashbox locations, was Boxeight.
There were a number of shows for 3 nights running: Sat was Eduardo Lucero (he never disappoints); Jared Gold the next evening and then a compilation night of several brands all in one evening-- then a slew of after parties replete with an assortment of genre specific bands.
As another site indicated, how is it possible to be at 2-3 locations at the same time? However the highlight of Box Eight was Eduardo Lucero, a LAFW staple who really should have been at Smashbox to underscore what Kevan Hall and Oligo Tissew showed---that real fashion does exist here in LA. While it's the land of jeans and mini dresses and shorts, we also have serious fashion lust for great designers and they exist here in LA. While it was disappointing to see Cynthia Vincent and Rodarte bypassing LA for the NYC catwalks, it's nice to know that some designers believe that there's no place like home-- and home is Los Angeles.
VH1 SAVE THE MUSIC FOUNDATION AND GIBSON/BALDWIN MUSIC EDUCATION teamed up with some of today's hottest names to create "Music By Design" - a program that asks designers and boutiques to customize brand-new Gibson guitars and auction them online for charity.
MAC Cosmetics designed guitar
Bidding began at this event at the Gibson/Baldwin Music space in Beverly Hills and continues online at VH1.com until March 30th!
Starbucks Decorated Guitar
It was a hip, young crowd, sprinkled with some oldies musicians and everyone was treated to vodka martinis and cupcakes and an acoustic set by Nelson (who flew in especially from New York City) and Ryan Cabrera who cut his tour short to perform for this charity!
Some of the designer guitars available were designed by: Justsweet (creative design by JLo), Lisa Klein, MAC Cosmetics, Kiehl's, Poleci, Starbucks, and Von Dutch. All bids started at $300. These guitars are pieces of art, designed for display only, they are NOT playable instruments. Visit the website to bid!
LISA KLINE BEVERLY HILLS BOUTIQUE CELEBRATION
Hosted by Lisa Kline, Samantha Harris (E!News) and designer Rachel Pally this was a haute party to hit for the new boutique launch from Lisa Klein.
Rachel Palley and Lisa Kline
A smattering of VIP Guests and an overflow crowd, was packed into this beautiful and hip new space on South Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills! Martinis and cocktails were provided by Belvedere and champagne by Chandon flowed with terrific appetizers and cookies provided by Adonis Catering. The crowd was buying up a storm of Lisa's newest fashions and terrific jewelry line.
A portion of the evening's sales benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Hayden Panettiere and Lisa Kline
Some of the young Hollywood crowd that attended included Hayden Panettiere, Lauren Conrad, Sasha Cohen and Audrina Patridge (The Hills). Lisa Klein's 5th U.S. retail location is at: 315 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills.
