L.A. Fashion Week Spring '07: Thrive
Soft meets hard. Survival overcomes envy. Edgy fabrics intertwine with muted colors.
Those were the messages designer Jacqueline Lavaun tried to convey in her young line, Thrive, which hit the runway Oct. 15 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
Lavaun, a young designer who worked for a few other apparel and accessories companies before branching out on her own, created styles for men and women that melded with her theme, “Deliberate Envy.”
“It’s about the whole idea of going into a situation where we know we’re going to end up envious, but we do it anyway,” she said. “We just jump right in, find ourselves and embrace it.”
Thrive explores Los Angeles’ below-the-surface culture with sharp designs that appear otherworldly while employing touches of softness, such as flowing ruffles on a blouse, shiny lace leggings and whisper-thin cashmere tops. Lavaun is particularly fond of jacquard pants accented in gold and cuffed at the edge.
They are so long they pool around a 6-inch heel. Lavaun employed her fair share of kangaroo leather, discovered at a recent visit to the Premiegrave;re Vision textile show in Paris, in soft pastel pants and black jackets. —Deborah Belgum
