Tommy Hilfiger, Rachel Zoe, Raquel Allegra and other designers skip New York Fashion Week to have L.A. shows
In the run-up to New York Fashion Week, Los Angeles found itself abuzz with a series of high-profile fashion happenings, many by designers, including Rachel Zoe and Tommy Hilfiger, who opted for L.A.-area venues and weather instead of showing in the Big Apple this season. Here’s a look at those fashion shows by designers in a SoCal state of mind.
Feb. 4: Rebecca Minkoff
Minkoff’s show at the Grove shopping center began with the Grove’s green trolley transporting models to the start of the runway near the movie theater. Models then proceeded to walk through the shopping center, turning the trolley tracks into their personal runway for an audience of about 200 guests.
From left: Pyper America Smith, Chriselle Lim, Aimee Song, Victoria Justice, designer Rebecca Minkoff, Maddy Justice, Natalie Suarez, Jamie Chung and Coco Rocha at the Rebecca Minkoff spring 2017 show.
The fashion that was shown on the runway was a mélange of feminine-yet-edgy looks that exuded a Southern California and sexy ’70s spirit. Think eyelets, suede, fringe, denim and leather mixed in with long, breezy floral print dresses, off-the-shoulder tops, cropped pants, graphic tees and smokin’ motorcycle jackets.
In keeping with the social media-centric attitude of her brand, Minkoff’s runway show included an assortment of influencers including Victoria Justice, Aimee Song, Jamie Chung, Chriselle Lim, Coco Rocha, Maddy Reed, Pyper America Smith and Natalie Suarez. — T.P.
Feb. 6: Raquel Allegra
L.A. designer Raquel Allegra showed her fall/winter 2017 collection with a presentation-cum-dance party at her West 3rd Street boutique.
Models donned select looks from the line, which hung on four long racks, continuing Allegra’s haute bohemian story with signature tie-dye on a wider array of fabrications from jersey and velvet to feminine silk devoré and heavy-weight silk charmeuse — even subtly over-dyed on arty prints for added dimension. A capsule of floor-grazing, fluid charmeuse slip gowns and separates with understated tie-dye insets marked the brand’s first foray into red carpet dressing.
“People have asked us, season after season, for red carpet looks, and now we can say, ‘Yes!’†said Allegra. “We’re pushing ourselves in the direction of more elevated and dressy; at the same time, we’re expanding our casual jersey.â€
The Berkeley native’s penchant for deconstruction showed up in trademark shredded crew sweaters, upgraded to 100% cashmere and accented with oversize single gold safety pins and textural fringed edging — notable on a grouping of effortless plaid dresses, tops and trousers in washed-down Japanese cotton.
Allegra noted that the fall color palette (purply blues and grays, burnt crimson, moss green and mustard gold) and other aspects of the collection were inspired by the 1973 Japanese anime film, “Belladonna of Sadness,†marked by Gustav Klimt-influenced watercolor imagery, a French peasant heroine and its controversial rape sentiment.
Along with softly tailored kimono-sleeve tops and dresses, slouchy jackets, tank dresses and easy elastic-waist pants, Allegra introduced dresses and tops with tie trims on bodices and sleeves, to be worn languidly undone or bound and fitted, that had a fresh peasant vibe. — I.S.
Feb. 6: Rachel Zoe
Celebrity stylist and designer Rachel Zoe was another one to switch coasts, choosing to present her latest wares at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood.
A mix of evening looks from her fall 2017 collection and cocktail dresses and evening wear pieces from her first see-now, buy-now offering, the standouts included wide-legged and broad-shouldered sequin-covered suits, body-hugging, shoulder-baring dresses with fishtail hems and architectural ruffles, black-and-white tuxedo dresses with pearl embellishment at the collar and cuffs and cropped-leg sequin-covered jumpsuits.
The see-now, buy-now offerings included an assortment of cocktail-appropriate, wrap-hem mini-dresses, slinky, sleeveless dresses and several of the Greco-Roman goddess looks that have become one of the designer’s signature silhouettes.
One of the hands-down favorite looks of the evening was the closing look: a body-hugging, off-the-shoulder sequined dress with lace-up back detail that was the perfect balance of Old Hollywood glamour and modern-day va-va-voom. — A.T.
Feb. 7: Rachel Comey
Rachel Comey chose downtown Los Angeles — specifically, the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery — as the place to show her fall/winter 2017 collection. Like Zoe, she hosted a dinner that had the models weaving their way around the tables between courses. Also like Zoe, her dinner included an impressive roster of high-profile celebrity friends, including Rashida Jones, Maya Rudolph, Judy Greer, Busy Philipps, Alia Shawkat, Jason Schwartzman and a very pregnant Lake Bell.
But aside from the similar presentation format, the two Rachels appear to have approached fall 2017 from two very different points of view. Comey, in her show notes, referred to the previous four months as “a time of great emotion for all of us,†and cited as inspiration the 50 jackets her label made for a group of women going to the post-Inauguration Day march in Washington, D.C. “Instead of thinking about the individual, we found ourselves thinking about the collective. What does inclusiveness look like?â€
Comey’s answer was a collection that ranged from military-inspired pieces like camouflage-patterned jackets bearing the slogan “Si Vales, Valeo†(“If you are strong, I am strongâ€) and sexy-and-powerful curve-hugging pieces (including latex harnesses and form-fitting tops) to cozy, perfect-for-cocooning jumpsuits, blush-pink wool coats and navy puffer jackets. — A.T.
Feb. 8: Tommy Hilfiger
As a West Coast sequel to his consumer-driven, see-now, buy-now fall fashion show and carnival on a New York pier, designer Tommy Hilfiger staged a self-described “multimedia fashion music festival†in Venice Beach, replete with a hodgepodge of food trucks, roving musicians and roller skaters, topped off with performances by Fergie and R&B musical duo Lion Babe and a 35-foot-tall Kamikaze carnival ride as backdrop.
While 2,000 of the 3,000 guests were consumers, the star-studded crowd included Lady Gaga, Tobey Maguire, Laura Dern, Kris Jenner, Rachel Zoe and models Kaia and Presley Gerber and Lucky Blue Smith.
Showing in L.A. for the first time, Hilfiger unveiled his free-spirited spring 2017 collection, including the second Tommy X Gigi collaboration designed with Malibu native-supermodel-Hilfiger muse Gigi Hadid.
“I’m inspired by the Southern California lifestyle and cool fashion vibe that I really believe is dominant and spreading throughout the world,†Hilfiger said before the show began. “This collection also has a scent of the ’70s. It’s fun and youthful.â€
Hilfiger’s all-American style was reinvigorated with vibrant stripes, patchwork patterns, metallic leathers, denim in all shapes and forms (adding a new twist to bomber jackets), western-inspired ankle booties and belts, and playful patches for DIY charm.
All looks (including four crowd-sourced designs) were instantly shoppable via Tommy.com, live stream, social media and retail outlets in 70 countries. The company also debuted a 3-D image recognition app, Tommyland Snap:Shop, enabling consumers to purchase looks by snapping photos of runway models or products — considered a first for any fashion brand.
“We’re quite ahead of the game with social media and technology; it drives the business in a way that is unprecedented globally,†Hilfiger said. “During last season’s see-now-buy-now show, we had 2.2 billion impressions, a 900% increase to Tommy.com, and hundreds of thousands of new fans and visitors. It really pushes our brand into the future.†— I.S.
