L.A. Fashion Week Fall '10: Concept L.A. Fashion Week Installations, Day 1

In the waiting time between runway shows at Concept at L.A. Fashion Week on March 23, held at the Spring Arts Tower in downtown Los Angeles, the deliberately dressed-up crowd loitered around presentations by Farm Tactics, Elmer Ave, Otto Gates and Mike Vensel.

As a sixth-generation Chinese-American, Kyle Ng of Farm Tactics was inspired by “American heritage” and military and outdoor wear. “It’s not really about trend,” Ng said. “I’m about taking the past and reinterpreting it in a modern way. The result was neutral-colored coats, blazers and woven shirts that had a handmade artisan construction quality. The presentation was accessorized with a flotsam and jetsam of branches, taxidermy animals, ropes and net. “This is his house and my house,” said Ishi Glinsky, a friend of Ng who contributed to the installation and who also designs jewelry line One Four Five One.

Over at Elmer Ave.’s installation, models walked slowly in a clear plastic bubble. The clothing was quintessential Elmer Ave.—lean blazers painted with vertical stripes and deconstructed jackets with a punk-rock school-boy and school-girl twist.

Otto Gates by Katie Kay was titled “Love in the Time of Fast Fashion.” According to the show notes, the installation was created in 72 hours, from concept to installation. Between the girls linked to the central tree by the scarves wrapped around their heads, the ropes tied around their feet and hands, and the all-black clothes, Kay's presentation compelled the viewers to take a closer look.

Mike Vensel's collection was pared down and simple—solid black or gray draped dresses both long and short. His installation was similarly simple. Two models stood in varying mirroring poses on a white seamless backdrop.—Rhea Cortado