L.A. Fashion Week Spring '08: Maria Bianca Nero
After a four-year absence, the Maria Bianca Nero label returned to the catwalk Oct. 26 with a runway show held in the courtyard patio of the California Market Center.
The 60-look show focused on dresses, and the timing was good. Market-research firm The NPD Group Inc., based in Port Washington, N.Y., found that sales for dresses jumped 30.4 percent in the 12-month period ending in April 2007, compared with the same period last year.
Maria Bianca Nero designer Maria Wojciechowski specifically incorporated eveningwear dresses and special-occasion daywear dresses into her Spring 2008 collection. An estimated 40 percent of the show was devoted to mini-dresses. These dresses came in bright colors such as hot pink and orange. An anklelength white taffeta dress bearing black-and-cream beads drew applause from the crowd.
The designer also showed a Summer 2008 one-shoulder chiffon dress in slate blue. —Andrew Asch
