Little Shop of Operas
Halloween, here we come. LA Opera will sell costumes from past productions such as “La Traviata” shown here. Photo by Robert Millard, courtesy of...
Handpicked Vintage By Apartment 3 at Lulus.com
Kristin Knauff’s quirky, fun vintage closet has undergone exponential expansion beyond the Apartment 3 store walls in Los Feliz. Since March, Knauff has been lending her buyer eye for what pretty young things crave to the fast-fashion online retail...
Coco De Mer Toasts Carol Malony
Designer Carol Malony and Ashlee Simpson-WentzAll those bedroom accessories and unmentionables usually kept hidden behind closed doors and talked about in hushed whispers are showcased in grand display at Coco De Mer. On Wednesday night, the luxury erotic boutique gave top billing to...
Dress Like The Real Housewives
Heels, tan, highlights required. Photo of The Real Housewives of Orange County, courtesy of BravoTV.comLos Angeles-based Royal Plush has partnered in a licensing deal with Bravo Media to develop a co-branded line of apparel “inspired by the fashion and style of ’The Real...
Skater and Surfer Playlist
Producers of the ASR fashion show took a stroll through the record store aisles—or in this digital era, the iTunes store plus some songs I recognized from Rock Band—for inspiration this season. The “Fashionably Loud” runway...
HX Surfboards as a Canvas
Bryden Lando adds an artistic touch to an HX surfboard. There is the idyllic Hawaiian resort paradise that you see in postcards and then there is the Hawaii inhabited by locals with a mischievous territorial bite. Or as Bryden Lando puts it on an HX graphic tee stamped with...
Santa Monica Museum of Art Presents The Halla Gala
“Costume, headdress or mask required.” Those are the invite instructions for Santa Monica Museum of Art’s Halla Gala fundraiser event on Halloween which encourages guests to dress up as their “secret self—your inner persona or alternate identity.”...
Water Main Break in Studio City Floods Local Residences and Businesses
Faire Frou Frou lingerie on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City after most of the water has drained out of the store. A 62-inch water main burst at the intersection near Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Dickens Street in Studio City at 10:40 on Saturday night,...
Screen Shopping Xbox's Avatar Marketplace
A real life Roxy Girl dresses her Xbox avatar in virtual Roxy clothing. Photo courtesy of blog.roxy.com. In a sudden-death word association quiz, my first response answer to "video gamer clothing" would be elfin hooded capes, sci-fi robot suits and military...
Planet Blue and Black Label
A look from Planet Blue's new private-label line, Black LabelPlanet Blue has taken the creation of the shop's bohemian beach girl look into its own hands. The retailer announced that it has launched a private-label line named Black Label. The private label...
Sound of Skaters: Matix Launches Headphones
For girls, fierce shoes and handbags are the status accessories. For guys, it's the latest electronic toys that serve as their accessory peacock feathers. Skateboard lifestyle clothing company Matix just made it easier for skater boys to upgrade...
Feel a Draft: Jasmin Shokrian's Draft No. 17 Trunk Show
With a tuck here and a gather there, Jasmin Shokrian’s designs are like modern art sculptures rendered in fluid fabric. The local designer’s name hit nationwide attention in May when one of her skirts landed on the most of-the-moment celebrity,...
New People: Japanese Pop Culture Mecca Opens in San Francisco
A look from the store Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. photo via newpeopleworld.com Since a spending spree in the conspicuously consumptive city of Tokyo is out of the question for many during this economy, my closest chance to becoming a...
Hi, My Name Is Sadie Plum Hill Dr. What's Your Stage Name?
An afternoon of shopping Trashy Lingerie followed by a pole dancing class? It’s like a bachelorette party, minus the bride-to-be. On Aug. 15 the S Factor Hollywood will host a “Lingerie Sugar Blues” girls-day-out event of Trashy...
Virtual Paper Dolls
"Oh My God! I just spent a half hour at work putting this outfit together online! Don't tell my boss!"And I thought turning myself into a
La Petite Coquette's West Coast Picks
No oversized pajama shirts here. A look from In Bloom by Jonquil, one of Rebecca Apsan's sleepwear picks.Californians are the masters of comfort (seeing as we practically invented wearing sweatpants as real clothing, for better or worse), so it’s fitting that when it comes to sleepwear, West Coast designers impressed Rebecca Apsan, owner of the lingerie boutique
Lingerie Designers Focus on Their Foundations
Makers of lingerie, sleepwear and loungewear are scaling back their offerings to concentrate on their core products during the economic downturn. ...
Ringmaster Jared Gold Debuts His Traveling Circus
Jared Gold's latest runway show at Social Hollywood felt more like being at a rock concert or sporting event (hello, Lakers fan level energy) than a traditional runway show. Gold's partner in crime, the pink-eyeshadowed Clint Catalyst, hollers at the mouth of the runway. “Yes! You!! GO!!!” he belts and gives each model a low five as she sprints in teetering heels to change into the next outfit. People stand up out of their seats and there is an eruption of cheers, claps and flashbulbs for every outfit. And Gold's loyal fans dressed in their band T-shirts and home-team uniforms for the occasion. This may have been the “official runway show,” but the “fashion show” had already been going on for hours since guests trickled into the backstage area that Gold opened up like a petting zoo to the public. The designer’s inner-circle team of tattooed models, hair artists with petite objects askew on their noggins and makeup artists in asymmetrical haircuts streaked with Kool-Aid colors were almost indistinguishable from the circus of guests, also clad in curious headwear and cacophonically composed outfits. Gold’s events feel like he cuts the velvet ropes, tears up the guest list and invites everyone to be residents of his magical world. The fund-raising event and fashion show last night was a preview to the fashion show act he is taking on the road across America. The traveling carnival (host Clint Catalyst, “the face” Audrey Kitching, alpha model Larva, a tour manager, a lead hair stylist and makeup artist) will travel on Amtrak trains and set up fashion shows in train stations along the way. The shows will be free and open to all ages. Models and hair and makeup artists will be cast in each city. The virtual tour diary will be posted on Gold’s
Through the Keyhole Into Carol Malony's World
Video by: Brian Outland for The Media Mob. Photographer: Adam David CohenIt finally pays off to be a fan of a brand on Facebook. Los Angeles-based lingerie designer Carol Malony gave her Facebook fans and Twitter followers a sneak peek at her Spring 2010 collection with a...
P-P-P-Pink Muppet Face
Lady Gaga in Jean Charles de Castelbajac ( Do Lady Gaga and her design team's creative stream of consciousness function like a fashion Mad Lib? As in: “That [cluster of bubbles] [forest of stalagmite crystals] [mosaic of mirrors] would look fabulous on my [head] [on a poufy skirt] [as an eyepatch].” That’s what I think every time I see a photo of the blonde songstress, like this one taken in Manchester today. The head of a Muppet from Jim Henson’s “The Muppet Show” that Lady Gaga wears as a skirt reminded me of Lichtenberg and de Castelbajac have never met, though Lichtenberg said they have corresponded about a possible face-to-face introduction, since de Castelbajac’s son lives in Los Angeles. Their clothes, however, have collided on the body of music artist MIA, who has donned Lichtenberg’s leggings with a dress by de Castelbajac on stage. And both designers hang in the closets of music artists that have an affinity for bright colors and out-of-the-ordinary ornamentation such as Katy Perry, Santigold and Yelle. Lichtenberg said he did not know about de Castelbajac’s Muppet skirt and its resemblance to his own until after his show. “Afterwards, it came to my attention,” he said. “I was like, ’Oh my God, of course he made something [like that].’” Up next for Lichtenberg is a secondary line, titled BL, of affordable and “wearable” denim, tanks and leggings to launch for the Spring 2010 market. Lichtenberg's parting words suggested another face-theme skirt due for a timely comeback. “What came to mind when I was making [my skirt] is Bjork wore this Bernhard Willhelm skirt that was a sequined Michael Jackson face. It was pretty awesome. It's not 3-D how our skirts are, but it's still, you know, a face on a skirt. He needs to pull that from the archives.”
It's Hammertime at Live! On Sunset
Kanye West’s blog never disappoints in the perverse and often baffling number of items that he posts each day; and his sometimes bland, yet succinct, all-caps headlines. From his blog earlier this week, this headline: “HAMMER PANTS DANCERS CRASH TIGHT PANTS...
Barracuda and Lovemade Launch Summer Patio Sale
Alejandra Hernandez wears a bow purse from her accessory line, Boos Besitos. Fashion insiders are like shopaholics on speed who hoard garb, shoes, bags and accoutrements faster and at higher...
Fashionable Turnout for Barney's CO-OP at the Grove
At the Barneys CO-OP fashion show at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles, a crowd of hip Angelenos turned out, dressed in sharp blazers, cool leather jackets, easy dresses and dandy woven shirts. The event’s guests—which included Barneys VIP clients, The Grove platinum-level...
'Fashion Unraveled' Provides an Indie How-To Guide
Jennifer Lynne Matthews learned how to get her lingerie brand, Porcelynne Lingerie, off the ground the hard way: through trial and error. Seven years later, she is now a successful business owner, consultant and...
Project Ethos' 'Culture Shock'
More than 2,000 people packed the Vanguard nightclub in Hollywood to attend Project Ethos’ latest event,...
Lingerie the French Way
LAS VEGAS—As Parisian–based lingerie designer Fifi Chachnil holds up one of her sheer black corsets with an extra-pinched hourglass waist, she sums up the difference between the casual American way and high-fashion French way of lingerie dressing. “I like pieces...
Guess What Company These Girls Work For?
LAS VEGAS—During the trade shows in Vegas, it’s sometimes easy to spot who works for what company without even looking at their badges. The uniform says it all.
Shapewear, Meet Fashion
Ready-to-wear and lingerie companies add a fashionable spin to body-shaping underpinnings ...
L.A. Market Draws Smaller Crowds, Cautious Buyers
Retail turnout was not great, but there were orders placed and new contacts made at the Jan. 16–20 run of Los Angeles Fa...
Fashion District's High School Prepares Students for a Fashionable Future
Students in Cynthia Banks’ advanced sewing class at Santee Education Complex are scattered around industrial tables, cutting patterns and pinning and stitching garments that will be shown at the high school’s...
Andrew Christian-Limited Edition and on the QT
When designers offer limited-edition goods, it usually means they pile on all the bells and whistles. But for underwear designer Andrew Christian, whose boxers are already done up with trendy graphics and sell for $28–$48 retail, his...
Lily's of Beverly Hills Courts a Contemporary Customer
After 35 years in the tennis- and golf-apparel business, The LBH Group Ltd. is upping its game. ...
Trovata and Staying Alive Foundation Launch Charity Tee
What better way to celebrate a T-shirt that reads “Lovers Love Life” than an uplifting party with limitless cocktails and head-bobbing tunes? That’s how Trovata toasted the launch of its...
Lingerie Americas Cancelled, Curve Partners With Eurovet
The lingerie trade-show competition is over. Lingerie Americas, the international trade show launched in 2002, has “decided to stop its activity,” according to a company stateme...
L.A. Market Better Than Expected for Many
Faced with an uncertain economy and an increasingly anxious consumer, many vendors and retailers revised their expectations for the Los Angeles Fashion Market Spring 2009, typically one of the calend...
Method to the 'Mad Men'
A parade of Tinseltown’s stylish ladies—Emmy Rossum, Molly Sims, Sophia Bush, Kristen Bell, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Eve and Rose McGowan—turned out in their cutest short party frocks for the Hollywood Style Awards, presented by Hollywood Life magazine and Nikon. The event...
Smashbox Studios and IMG Split
L.A. Fashion Week is headed for another stage of evolution. The Los Angeles Times reports that Smashbox Studios and IMG will “part ways” after the Spring ’09 season of shows, which kicks off on Sunday. This confirms recent rumors that had been...
Mode City Relocates to Paris
PARIS—While the economy continues to struggle at home, American brands such as the Los Angeles–based lingerie and swim line Undrest are seizing the opportunity to crank the till in markets abr...
Elegantly Waisted
PARIS—It wasn’t hard to miss Velda Lauder’s flashy Swarovski crystal-encrusted and red glittery corsets while walking down the aisles at the Mode City lingerie and swim trade show in Paris. Though the designer is based in London, she could have a second home with the Hollywood crowd....
Parisian Skate Style
PARIS—As home to Chanel and Christian Dior, France is synonymous with globally influential luxury fashion and ready-to-wear. But when it comes to action-sports lifestyle clothing, I found California brands dominated real estate in the skate store racks...
Las Vegas Sizzles With New and Old Apparel Trade Shows
During a slow economy, retailers are often advised to provide added incentive to their customers—to sell the sizzle as well as the steak....
Lingerie Entrepreneurs Jump In to Address a Petite-Size Market
Ellen Shing’s store, Lula Lu in San Mateo, Calif., caters to a niche within a niche....
Cautious Buying at Fall '08 L.A. Market
Buyers were cautious with their spending, and most exhibitors reported lighter-than-usual traffic at the March 14–18 run of the Los Angeles Fashion Market....
Wonderbrand: Nick Graham's New Venture
For Nick Graham, being a maker of loungewear and underwear is synonymous with building a lifestyle brand....
Something for Everyone at Las Vegas Shows
The wide-ranging sprawl of fashion trade shows spread out even further this season when the massive MAGIC Marketplace opened in Las Vegas, offering something for every apparel and accessorie...
A Buyer's Market in Las Vegas
It was a buyer’s market in Las Vegas as the giant MAGIC Marketplace set up shop with its ever-growing coterie of satellite shows....
Schedule, Economy Impact Los Angeles' Holiday/Resort Market
The Holiday/Resort market has traditionally been one of the smallest markets on the calendar, but buyer traffic was particularly low during the most recent Holiday/Resort event according to m...
Gearing Up for a Crowded Trade Show Scene in L.V.
It’s that time of year again, when a huge swath of the apparel industry descends on Las Vegas for the massive MAGIC Marketplace and its concurrent satellite shows. ...
Zafu.com Launches Bra Finder
Zafu.com (
Loungewear Goes Eco
Socially conscious shoppers that have organic food in their refrigerators and eco-friendly clothes in their closets will soon be able to add organic cotton lingerie and sleepwear to their wardrobes....
