L.A. Fashion Week Spring '08: Avita

Avita designer Amanda Shi opened EcoNouveau, held on Oct. 13, the third day of the BoxEight runway series at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles.

EcoNouveau organizers approached Shi in her newly opened eco store on Los Angeles’ West Third Street and invited her to participate in the program.

This was Shi’s first solo runway show, and she clothed her models in organic cotton tees, recycled cashmere sweaters and draped styles in bamboo. A few pieces were paired with Del Forte denim, made from organic cotton.

The show drew American Rag founder Mark Wertz, who said his store would be carrying the Avita line soon, along with other eco lines.

On the runway Shi showed pastel dresses with delicate and girly details. A pink dress has exposed shoulders and a ruffled hem. Another in ecru featured tuxedo-style ruffles as the neckline, and a yellow dress featured an open back.

The designer showed two blouson-style mini-dresses in white—one with a bubble hem. And all styles were worn with wooden platform shoes trimmed with dried flowers.

For the finale, Shi showed draped skirts in layered sheer prints. —Alison A. Nieder