Maison Margiela dazzles with an avant-garde exhibition at Maxfield; 'Kingsman' collection drops at Mr Porter

By Kavita Daswani

Sept. 14, 2017 10 AM PT

Customized wardrobe staples? Check. A showcase for designers-to-watch? Check. Want to look like a “Kingsman” while checking out art-as-fashion in a gallery-style exhibition? Yes, you can do that as well.

Here’s a look at the latest happenings in the Los Angeles style scene.

L.A.’s Sene Studio offers custom designs for men and women

It might sound like a luxury to have a made-to-measure wardrobe, but Ray Li, founder of Los Angeles-based Sene Studio, wants to refute that.

Li opened a store this spring offering customized men’s clothes — T-shirts included — and, in early September, he expanded to a women’s outerwear collection. “Two people can have the same body measurements but dramatically different preferences on fit,” he said.

Here’s how it works: Customers try on pieces in the store, and their measurements are stored in a virtual library so an item can be reordered at the press of a button. Orders are shipped direct; three days for a T-shirt and three weeks for a suit.

The new women’s offering covers seven items, including a belted trench coat and classic wide-lapeled blazer. Prices range from $95 for a T-shirt to $895 for a tuxedo. Selections from the women’s collection are from $795 to $895.

Sene Studio, 149 S. La Brea Ave., L.A. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday; (844) 439-7363, senestudio.com

5 global designers land at Nordstrom’s Space Lab

Offerings from an elite, global clutch of edgy designers have bowed in the Space Lab section of select Nordstrom stores. Olivia Kim, vice president of creative projects for the luxury retailer, chose the five designers as a follow-up to her well received spring 2017 initiative.

“A lot of these brands have been around for a few seasons and were starting to move out of infancy and become well known,” Kim said.

The five include South Korea’s Hyein Seo; Marine Serre from Paris, who won this year’s LVMH Prize for young designers; London’s Rejina Pyo and Richard Malone; and New York-based Sandy Liang, who in July was named a finalist in this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. There are 45 items total from the five designers.

Kim said her key criteria in curating the designers was diversity. The clothing is priced from $150 to $2,970 and encompasses aesthetics ranging from ultra-feminine to unisex. This Space Lab collection will be sold through the fall.

Space Lab available at Nordstrom at the Grove, 189 the Grove Drive, L.A., and at shop.nordstrom.com/spacelab

Men’s collection inspired by ‘Kingman: The Golden Circle’ drops at Mr Porter

On the chance that watching “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” which hits theaters Sept. 22, motivates you to revamp your wardrobe, Mr Porter has launched a fashion collection informed by the cool British aesthetic of the film — and its rugged American vibe, courtesy of the sequel’s costar Channing Tatum.

For its second “Kingsman” collection, the upscale men’s e-tailer worked with the film’s director, Matthew Vaughn, and costume designer, the Academy Award-nominated Arianne Phillips, to create signature pieces using the characters’ wardrobes as a jumping-off point, such as a formal orange velvet jacket as worn by nattily dressed agent Gary “Eggsy” Unwin, played by Taron Egerton. Phillips worked with brands such as Turnbull & Asser for shirts, Cutler and Gross for eyewear and George Cleverley for shoes. Also available is an umbrella from a key scene in the 2014 “Kingsman: The Secret Service” film. The piece is by Swaine Adeney Brigg and comes with a chestnut handle. At a $450 price tag, try not to forget it in an Uber. Selections from the collection range from $65 for a silk pocket square to $2,495 for a suit.

“Kingsman” collection available at mrporter.com

Maison Margiela puts the avant-garde on display at Maxfield exhibition

There are still a few days to catch the stunning Maison Margiela’s “Artisanal” collection exhibition. The 13-piece display, created by the French fashion house’s creative director, John Galliano, was unveiled at a reception at Maxfield’s Jean Prouvé house on Sept. 7. The exhibition will be up until Sept. 21.

This is highly stylized fashion at its best. The pieces are arrayed within glass cases, and the intricacy and complexity with which they were conceived and created are on full display. Galliano finds avant-garde ways to layer fabrics, including wool, organza and chiffon, and builds striking images using leather, crystals and feathers, each designed to present an illusion. For example, a voluminous coat with a myriad of knife pleats, at first sight, looks as if it were made from corrugated cardboard. In celebration of the event, Maison Margiela also released a $390 limited-edition T-shirt with a design inspired by selfie filters.

Maison Margiela’s “Artisanal” collection exhibition at Maxfield, 8825 Melrose Ave., L.A., until Sept. 21; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, maxfieldla.com