L.A. Fashion Week Fall 2009: Kevan Hall

Designer Kevan Hall channeled classic Hollywood glamour for his Spring 2010 collection and the venue: the backlot of Universal Studios.

The show was sponsored by the Rusnak Auto Group and Universal Studios, and guests turned out early to check out Rusnak’s luxury cars on display amid the period sets on the Universal lot.

An imposing set with an impossibly long staircase provided the backdrop for the runway show, which featured Hall’s red-carpet gowns and chic day dresses. The designer used luxe fabrications in pastel candy colors and traditional darks to create his gowns, which featured subdued thoughtful details and bold architectural shapes. Hall included pockets in a short black silk faille dress with a square neckline. A cross-dye raspberry silk gown featured a sweeping twist of fabric over one shoulder, a peach gown had origami-like pleats along the bust and Hall used a similar treatment for a short dress in mint. A navy jersey with an asymmetrical neckline swirled around the body, and a red jersey gown featured lattice-like draping along the bodice.

The collection was inspired by socialite and style icon Elizabeth Parke Firestone, the wife of Firestone tires scion Harvey S. Firestone Jr. and grandmother of Ford Motors Executive Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. Named one of the “Best Dressed Women in the World” by the Couture Group of the New York Dress Institute, Firestone amassed a vast wardrobe—including pieces by Peggy Hoyt, Balenciaga, Salon Moderne and Bergdorf Goodman—which is now part of the collection at the Henry Ford Museum.—Alison A.Nieder