Fashion designers have been mining the art world for inspiration for decades. Collaborations with artists also have picked up steam over the last few seasons. On Sunday, I was on my way to see a fashion presentation-cum-art installation at a photo studio. Along the way, I spotted this mural injecting hope and life into a rough strip of South La Brea Avenue.
I also came across this courtyard that housed an adorable pair of statues. They remind me of Ruben and Isabel Toledo.
At last, I arrived at the studio where the fashion label Whitley Kros set up an art installation comprising of pieces from its fall collection with bits of Riesen chocolates, Polaroids and Post-Its. The walk-in inspiration board was the creation of Whitley Kros, a fictitious girl who was prepping to jet to Eastern Europe. It was a good thing the installation was already in a disheveled state. The hyper toddlers who ran circles around the room didn't have to worry about putting anything back in its proper place. Also milling about was a beardless Devendra Banhart, who could be prep's new rep in a purple sweater, white jeans and pink Keds. Chan Marshall/Cat Power was in the house, as well.
This jacket combined the trends for plaid and motorcycle jackets.
I wore Dr. Martens when I trekked across France during my junior year abroad. But they were a reliable black, not a whimsical baby blue like these boots.
This is one of Whitley Kros' designers, Marissa Ribisi, who's married to the musician Beck.
On the other side of town, a crew of designers staged their runway shows at the Los Angeles Theatre. The Battalion is one of the funkier eco-friendly lines. It incorporated faux fur into its collection inspired by American colonial explorers, the French Libertines and native Americans. Still, I don't get why the designers, Linda and Chrys Wong, packed gray headbands in their gift bags.
I liked the veggie leather that they cut into vests and leggings.
The flare is going the way of the mammoth. Skinny legs are here to stay. So is the Goth girl, who was molded in myriad forms by designers from Los Angeles to Paris. This is The Battalion's noir nymph.
This is Maxine Dillon's version of dark drainpipes.
The Goth girl took a trip to Russia for Single's presentation at the Russian resto Maxim. Don't you feel like you're floating inside an amber bubble?
The bubble burst when a bartender asked me brusquely in a thick Russian accent what I wanted to drink. Despite the brut label, the champagne was a little too fruity, as if it was aCalifornia sparkling wine. I should have asked for vodka.
The vodka would have gone nicely with the Russian buffet: caviar with blinis, eggplant stuffed with crushed walnuts, Buffalo mozzarella-caprese salad, cubed beets, chicken salad and the Slavic version of baba ganoush. I scarfed this all down while the stereo speakers blared a Russian cover of "Those Were the Days, My Friend."
The Single girl may be dark this season but she still glows with glamor.
The audience also liked to shimmer, right down to their shoes.
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