L.A. Fashion Week Fall '08: Mike Vensel

Kitten magazine founder Mike Vensel presented his Fall ’08 “Doves” collection on March 15 at Boxeight, held this season at the Boxeight headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.

Vensel said the collection was inspired by birds, doves, airplanes, aerospace and Miami minimalism. Styles were simple with clean lines, and Vensel added a few theatrical effects. He covered bamboo sheath dresses with maribou and cinched them with metallic silver belts. Swimwear and bodysuits came in white and metallic silver in streamlined shapes. Vensel added Mylar capes, wings and paper ponchos to mimic the shapes of paper airplanes. Dresses were sexy and form-fitting, including a strapless tube dress decorated with topstitching that replicated the rivet pattern on airplanes. The collection was made in fabrics such as bamboo and organic cotton jersey in a palette of black, silver and white.

Vensel said he doesn’t consider his collection to be an “eco” line, per se, but he likes to use eco-friendly fabrics whenever possible. “I eat organic food. I try to be healthy. I try to recycle,” Vensel said. “Everything that I can buy organic or natural, I definitely try to support it. I think it’s better quality, too,” he said. —N. Jayne Seward