Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall I 2003: Panacea
The wilderness setting inside Panacea’s spacious downtown studio loft seemed representative of how the Los Angeles–based clothing company takes aspiring design- school graduates and throws them into the wild business of fashion. For the company’s show on April 6, Panacea co-owner Barbara Encinias and her crew of designers— Jerell Scott, Nina Dark, T Ngu and Daniel Gonzales—created a Fall atmosphere with a circular-shaped, undulating runway surrounded by tall, twisting branches and scattered with dried leaves.
The clothing was less complex. Denim pants and skirts—some with gold-chain trimmings or top-stitch details—paired with knit tops, sweaters, fringed ponchos and a hooded tweed cape were fitting for young urban glamazons, especially with additional gold-chain accessories.
There were also simpler pieces for the more mature set, including bell-sleeve wrap tops and sweaters in all shades of brown, knit trousers, skirts that fell just below the knee, and a surprisingly conservative blazer and coat. —Joselle Yokogawa
