Bowman, Othon Return to the Runway for a Cause
Fashionable ladies—and a few men—gathered for a day of philanthropy and fashion at the ninth annual fund-raiser luncheon hosted by the Universal Love Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Camarillo, Calif., that provides assistance to single parents, including medical treatment, social services, counseling, job training and support.
Los Angeles designers Richard Bowman and Xavier Othon provided the fashionable finale to the event with a presentation of their 2010 XR Collection at the May 3 event, held at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills hotel.
Turning convention on end, the designers opted to start the show with bridal looks, including curve-skimming gowns with illusion lace insets and a frothy V-neck gown topped with a sheer floor-length coat. The bridal looks were accompanied by men in tuxedos and girls in pint-sized flower-girl dresses—all also designed by Bowman and Othon. The designers segued from bridal to red-carpet gowns in bright tropical shades of raspberry, fuchsia and chartreuse.
Bowman said Swarovski has been a sponsor of the collection, which featured crystal details on many of the gowns. “We’ve had great access to the newest crystals,” he said.
For men, the looks ranged from somber shades of olive and black to more avant-garde looks in bright colors and floral prints. The show concluded with dramatic gowns in darker shades, including a black strapless gown worn with a warp made from oversize tulle rosettes and a beaded teal mermaid gown with a ruffled hem.
Ariane provided the hats for the event, including a quaint white top hat and a dramatic lattice style that dipped over one eye, as well as men’s porkpie styles in natural ombreacute; shades.
Next up for Bowman and Othon, who have operated out of the Richard Bowman retail store in Los Angeles since 1998, is a collaboration with Coca-Cola, Bowman said, adding that a party is planned to unveil the collaboration sometime this summer. —Alison A. Nieder
