Downtown L.A. Fashion Week Launch to Feature Vintage Fashion, New Verdad Collection
Downtown L.A. Fashion Week will launch on March 19 with a vintage runway show produced by Decades owner Cameron Silver and an installation featuring Louis Verdad’s new collection, Louver.
The event, titled “An Evening of 20th Century Glamour,” is a fund-raiser for the Museum of Contemporary Art and will be held at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary in downtown Los Angeles. Actress Rachel Griffiths will host the show, which will feature vintage pieces ranging from a 1958 Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent piece to a 1988 Thierry Mugler ensemble. Tickets range in price from $50 to $200. Tickets are still available at www.downtownlafashionweek.com. Proceeds from the ticket sales for the runway show will benefit MOCA. In addition, Downtown L.A. Fashion Week will plant a tree for every ticket sold as part of a global initiative with Trees for the Future in partnership with green nonprofit group EcoNouveau.
Louis Verdad’s new Louver collection will be showcased against a backdrop of 18-foot photos by August Bradley. The installation will also include a film about the designer by director Robertino Fonseca.
It wouldn’t be fashion without a little controversy. A mini rumor rippled through the industry days before the launch that the event was cancelled. A confusing post on the Daily News Web site’s calendar fueled the rumor, which has been refuted by a spokesperson for the event.
Indeed, show organizer Leanna Lewis has ambitious plans for the future of Downtown L.A. Fashion Week, which she said she plans to expand to the scope of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios.
“We eventually envision this event to replace the annual Smashbox event,” she said. “We chose a vintage theme as it serves as an inspiration for all modern fashion, and we support the greening of the fashion industry. The reuse of beautiful clothing is a way for us to give back to the environment and community. Since we are in L.A., we also chose Cameron Silver because of his reputation for dressing Hollywood royalty such as Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Renee Zellweger and also themed it as a nod to the brilliance of Hollywood glamour. We are different in that we all come from monster-production backgrounds with the majors in fashion and entertainment from Gucci, Merv Griffin, the film studios and Victoria’s Secret. This event is setting the stage for our next slate of events in October.” —Alison A. Nieder
