AP File Photos
Jenna Jameson wears Herve Leger at L.A. Fashion Week.
Victoria Beckham dons the same Herve Leger dress, different color scheme, only she wore it last September at the Marc Jacobs show in New York.
Day Two of L.A. Fashion Week pulled in the kind of celebrities that made you wish you had imdb.com handy. You know you've seen them in something, but you just can't pinpoint what.
Take Vanessa Williams, for instance. No, not the one of "Ugly Betty" fame. That would actually be impressive. The one who starred in an episode of "Cold Case" and the first season of "Melrose Place." (Thanks, imdb.) She sat front row in more than one of the shows — and even changed outfits — as did Mary Carey and Shar Jackson.
No wonder they're saying L.A. Fashion Week just ain't what it used to be. Here's a look at two shows from the second day at Smashbox Studios. One supports that theory, the other defies it:
Alexis Lamontagna
The lowlight: Her models couldn't stop fidgeting on the runway in their poorly constructed garments made of shoddy fabrics. If the walking hangers were uncomfortable in the clothes, imagine how women with real bodies will feel.
The scene: PR people struggled to fill seats while Vanessa Williams hammed it up for paparazzi. Four people stood in the back just to make it look like the show had decent attendance. Several empty seats, including one front and center, screamed a lack of interest.
Octavio Carlin
The highlight: A cocktail dress with a hoodie lined in green satin. You could hear the oohs and aahs as the model passed audience members to reveal the surprising hood. Carlin's garments reflected an immaculate attention to detail.
The scene: Seated guests unwrapped tiny gift boxes left on their chairs to reveal mouthwatering cupcakes. As soon as the show let out, the confections were devoured.
Fashion faux pas? To unveil her Bettie Page-inspired PETA ad, in which she tells potential fur wearers to "Pleather Yourself," Jenna Jameson rocked a fabulous Herve Leger bandage dress in gunmetal gray. It was just as fabulous when Victoria Beckham wore the purple version to New York Fashion Week — not a month ago but last September.
Most ironic moment: As the PETA crew set up for Jameson's big unveiling, a reject from the first season of "Rock of Love," Dallas, hung out just a few short feet away. Pretty ballsy seeing how she repeatedly declared her love of fur and hate for PETA during the reality show. Although she said she wore "her ass kickin' shoes, just in case," no faces were pied and no paint was splashed. The shoes, for the fashion curious, were silver stilettos.
