L.A. Fashion Week Spring 2011: Elmer Ave.

Los Angeles label Elmer Ave. is a fashion week veteran, known for its punk/dandy aesthetic and gritty runway shows.

Last season, the label put its fashions in a giant hamster ball. This season, it opened for something slightly more traditional, creating a fashion installation in a plastic-walled space at Concept Fashion Week on Oct. 16.

Designers Jonny Day, Sean Murphy and Matthew Mathiasen continued to explore their edgy twist on tailored classic pieces, which are produced in Los Angeles and Japan. The company has its headquarters and retail store in downtown Los Angeles, where it sells retail and creates custom apparel.

Central to the Spring 2011 collection for both men and women was the vest.

“I’ll never stop making vests,” Day said, adding he liked the versatility of vests, which can be worn loose and open or buttoned-up and fitted, layered over other pieces or worn on their own.

For women, the look ranged from sexy secretary—a vest with an internal corset worn with a thigh-skimming skirt—to sophisticated steampunk—a corset top in menswear fabrications. Men’s styles were crisp, clean and cut in a narrow silhouette. Day also included a few girls’ pieces, modeled by his daughter—Alison A. Nieder