There was a fashionable look for almost everyone at the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion presented by Moroccanoil runway show held at the historic Vibiana cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, just steps from the city’s fashion district.
Hosted by fashion plate Zoe Saldana, who is a cofounder of a new fashion database, myFDB.com, the sold out event showcased seven up-and-coming designers with their Spring 2012 collections.
Featured were designs from the lines of Chambers, Dear Creatures, Funktional, 71 STANTON, We Are Handsome, ODYLYNE and Stand and Deliver.
Closing out STYLE Fashion Week LA, after a series of shows at Vibiana during the previous week, it was the 13th edition of Fresh Faces in Fashion– the place where revered designers like Phillip Lim and Louis Verdad got their starts– and therefore a coveted venue for clothing creators to strut their stuff.
After the inevitable seat-shuffling, the party got started with creative swimsuits from We Are Handsome, and they sure were pretty. One bikini bottom was adorned with either a cat or an owl on the rear, which would make for quite the splash poolside.
Dear Creatures showed off flirty dresses in muted colors like gray, cream and navy while Odylyne went for a ruffled, modern-day hippie look with its colorful frocks and Funktional showcased short jewel-toned dresses with cropped printed vests. Stanton’s tagline was “Off the bench and onto the street of LA” with a prime example, a grey knit jersey dress with seafoam chiffon inset panels. Chambers paraded its male models dressed in looks reminiscent of early 90s Seattle grunge, with plaid woven shirts tied around the waist over rolled up denims.
But it was Stand and Deliver that stole the show with its edgy leather designs and outre presentation, complete with a couple who got out of the audience and began groping each other onstage, dressed in fetish-y leathers, of course, a duo of skateboarders who raced down the runway and then began wrestling and in a somewhat futuristic/spooky set-up, a man dressed in white doctor’s garb wheeling an all-white head to toe clothed person, indeterminate sex, down the runway on a trolley.
Almost as important as the clothing, and under as much of the spotlight: the accessories and the hair, which is why the event was sponsored by Moroccanoil, the leading argan oil-infused line of professional hair products, used by top runway stylists all over the world.
Los Angeles-based Moroccanoil hair stylist Kevin Hughes headed the team that collaborated with designers and created the hair looks for the runway show.
His hairstyles were as diverse as the clothing with the featured hair looks on the models showcasing various textures ranging from curly and wavy to smooth, sleek and silky, including deep side swept bangs, loose braided effects and creative ponytails.
“Well-conditioned, healthy hair played a key role in the styling process and the success of the different looks shown,” said Hughes, who used a selection of Moroccanoil products including its signature treatment oil that immediately absorbs into strands to condition, strengthen and improve the elasticity of the hair.
“This allowed high speed styling changes that included back-combing and use of hot blow dryers and flat irons,” said Hughes. “After LA Fashion Week and the stresses so many models had on their hair, we needed it to help restore their hair and prevent additional damage.”
Too bad he couldn’t whip up a concoction for indulging in too many of the Ketel One cocktails being served in the Vibiana courtyard for the afterparty.
