Imasu by Kelly Nishimoto
A shiny Mercedes to the left of me, open bar to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. They say it’s a non-stop party but keep in mind the host: L.A.
There are lines to get into other lines. Paparazzi linger about. It’s a thick, lush velvet rope mentality. And most everyone couldn’t be happier to partake.
The production efforts are huge. The actual fashion? Hit and miss. There have been some standout moments, though. Here’s the breakdown of highlights (and lowlights) from the first day:
Whitley Kros
Clothes: Part of the collection looked as if the designers had a field day at Savers and threw their goods on the runway.
Highlight: People’s Revolution (A PR company based in L.A. handling several of the shows) interns Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port getting slapped around by their new boss backstage while "The Hills" production crew was on hand to capture it all. Odd that Conrad is learning the ropes when she has a line of her own debuting on Wednesday.
Julia Clancey
Clothes: The cocktail and evening wear, with its stunning beading detail and glorious draping, was easily the best show of the evening. Alexia Somervile’s styling managed to make the eye patch an elegant accessory.
Highlight: As the show got started, an announcer told the audience the British designer was arrested at the airport upon arriving in the States and wanted to let America know how she felt with her first look. A model wearing nothing but a sign that read "Haute Haters" shimmied down the runway to a song shouting "I don’t give a f***!"
Imasu by Kelly Nishimoto
Clothes: Nishimoto’s ribbon weaving created exciting, sometimes overdone, detail on jackets and pants.
Lowlight: Nishimoto gets the award for taking the longest runway walk by a designer, ever. When the photographers put their cameras down you might want to make your exit. Everyone wants to be a star.
The buzz from the first day: Word on the runway is that Envy Models and Talent has booked Sarah Larson, George Clooney’s girlfriend and former Palms cocktail waitress, for the Ashley Paige show on Thursday.
The most impressive celebrity to make a cameo: Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large of Vogue and Anna Wintour’s right-hand man, had two PR people blocking admirers from pestering him.
