L.A. Fashion Week Spring 2010: Project Ethos

Project Ethos—the ticketed event that showcases emerging talent in fashion, art and music—staged its latest edition at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, Calif., on Oct. 24.

A varied crowd wandered around every nook and cranny of the club, where the mood ranged from mellow in the art-gallery lounge to raucous by the main stage, where music acts Electrolightz and Cold Flamez performed.

The fashion show opened with bright dresses and sportswear from Li Cari, a line by 20-year-old designer Jazmin Whitley, whose daily life is chronicled in the MTV reality show “House of Jazmin.” The designers sent out plenty of party dresses, gowns, and fancy sportswear with special occasions in mind. Goci used a sophisticated, muted palette of nude, blush pink and champagne for its dresses with detailed handwork and jumpsuits that moved with a fluid drape. Rina Palma showed swimwear and sparkly coverups that could go from the beach to the nightclub. Garden Party’s rompers and ruffled sweetheart dresses had a fairy tale whimsy that nodded to a modern day “Alice in Wonderland.” Cowgirl Heaven got the biggest cheers of them all when the models dressed in frothy cocktail dresses did their finale walk choreographed in pairs with a fierceness that channeled Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” entourage. On the opposite streetwear spectrum was Private Arts lace lingerie printed with tromp l’oeil corset lace-ups and ruffles and SYC FUK (an acronym for Street Youth Couture From Unwanted Kids), which appliqueacute;d and printed its Misfits-esque skull design on tank dresses, hoodies, plaid shirts, blazers and boots.—Rhea Cortado