L.A. Fashion Week Spring '08: Yana K.

Longtime Smashbox Studios devotee Yana Khromova of Yana K. moved her Spring ’08 fashion show to the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles for an Oct. 27 presentation, launching her new couture and ready-to-wear collections.

The show was held during the middle of Los Angeles Market Week before a house full of buyers, who were also treated to a live performance by R&B singer and Yana K. fan Kelis.

Khromova has dabbled in couture before but decided it was time to bring an all-out luxe collection to the market because her business has expanded to international fronts, such as Japan and the United Kingdom. For Spring, the designer set off on a retro theme, featuring disco, op-art and modernist images.

The couture collection, called Yana Couture, featured silk and silk crepe, lace, and linen dresses, mostly in short cuts and embellished with jewels or prints. Among the standouts were a jeweled tank dress and lace fabric dresses with silk trim and ruffling. The pieces were handcrafted and intricately constructed.

The ready-to-wear line, now called Yana K. Los Angeles, was more playful, featuring short dresses in retro floral and mosaic prints along with other dresses in perforated patterns and Southwest-influenced knits. —Robert McAllister