Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Full Frontal TV's James Aguiar's Picks from Los Angeles Fashion Week

James Aguiar's fave, Suh-Tahn
Since Los Angeles has this long traditional for birthing out trends in sportswear, I asked my always kind and knowledgeable, James Aguiar, VOOM HD's "Full Front TV"s fashion expert and "Behind The Label"s industry insider, what are his favorite picks from this crop of this recent L.A. Fashion Spring/Summer 2009.

He was sweet enough to take time out to chat while battling an on-street parking dispute in Brooklyn in this cross-country conversation. Smart, stylish, -and brave, what a gentleman!

His perennial favorite Los Angeleno design team of Suh-Tahn reappears consistently, remembering them as, "New York clothes for New Yorkers by Los Angeles designers."

Their strong technical skills in construction paired with Manhattan's more stark palette of cool white and gray paired against dark black and navy blue struck a chord with this New Yorker.

Marissa Ribisi & Sophia Coloma
of Whitley Kros
James' other favorite is another design duo of Whitley Kros, comprising of Marissa Ribisi and Sophia Coloma.

Marissa has transitioned from being actor Giovanni Ribisi's sister and being an alternative movie star from Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused," to being Beck's wife and the mother of their two children, son, Cosimo Henri, and daughter, Tuesday and a partner in contemporary sportswear line, Whitley Kros.

Whitley Kros were generally inspired by the beach. Whether it be a cool morning fog or a blistering high-noon sun, they literally have you covered. The collection consist of wraps and tunics in light-weight knits coordinating with light silk dolphin shorts and shimmering satin baby-doll camisoles. Each outfit can be broken apart then spread out to be paired off with other pieces in your wardrobe. It seems like Marissa and Sophia consciously put out a year-around wardrobe that fits in any active woman's lifestyle.

Kevan Hall Black & White Gingham Dupioni Silk Halter Top

Another designer noted, when pressed, is Los Angeles stalwart, Kevan Hall.
He strikes James as the most impressive, not just in the usual qualifications of design, styling, construction, and fabrication.
James describes him as the most experienced and the most business-wise.
Mr. Hall, stressed by James, knows the importance of buyers and loyal patrons to truly keep a fashion designer and her/his company alive.
This wise designer understands what it takes to do a fashion show and what a fashion show means.
James calls him, "The Leader."
Kevan Hall's Lurex-Infused Wool Belted Sheath Dress
Mr. Hall has always been this particular columnist's favorite because he comes the closest to what is considered "a society designer," a fashion designer catering to socialites, what other derisively dismissed as "ladies who lunch." When he shines, his natural inclinations aims toward elegant but easy to wear seperates with tasteful features, such as his zebra-stripe tunic with rhinestone hems from his African Collection a year ago to now, his "Mad Men" late Fifties and early Sixities-influenced line, with the added sparkle of Lurex-infused wool.
Unlike most designers, he understands the climate where the majority of his clients live, affluent, mature women who live in hot weather, arid or humid.
If his African, zebra-striped tunic was the it outfit year ago-and still going strong on photo shoots, then his black-and-white gingham halter in dupioni silk is crisp and refreshing for a hot, sultry Summer Spoleto Soiree. Timeless enough for the hot young things in Spoleto Scene or The Apollo Circle at The Metropolitan Museum of Art or the more established steadfast patrons of the opera and the ballet, these are classy outfits for classy people.
At his recent headlining show, Mr. Hall attracts the likes of Hollywood socialites, such as Candy Spelling, Tori's mother, Christine Devine, and the Mayor of Los Angeles, the honorable Antonio Villaraigosa in the front row.
This is a refined break from the usual front row of celebrities from A-List to Z-List.
His fans are noteworthy and respectable, just like the clothes and the man, himself.



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