Stop Staring! Spring 2012
The runway show for Spring/Summer 2011–12 collection of Stop Staring! By Alicia Estrada had the feel of the victory lap when it took its bow at Style Week Fashion Week L.A. on Oct. 18.
Perhaps the celebratory feeling came from the crowd. The seats of Vibiana, a former cathedral, were filled with cheering young women wearing Stop Staring! retro cocktail dresses. Perhaps the celebratory feeling came from the introduction for the 37-look show. Comedienne Lisa Ann Walter joked during her introductory comments that wearing Stop Staring! was the best way to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend or husband.
Celebration aside, the runway show remained true to the label's retro roots, and it was willing to take chances.
The label made a splash in 1997 with its 1940s- and 1950s-style dresses. For the Style Week show, Estrada designed a more glamorous retro look, what with the collection’s classic Hollywood-style jump suits and two-piece play suits. They were showcased along with the fitted pencil skirts and fishtail skirts with which her label has been long popular.
Stop Staring! Spring/Summer 2012 also featured more prints, colorblocking and pinstriping along with some wild colors such as jade, but the colors stayed 1940s. It certainly was not 1960s psychedelic.—Andrew AschPhotos from the event can be found here.
