Where could you set up camp for a week and spot Cher, Courtney Love, Paula Abdul, Paris Hilton, Carmen Electra, Christina Aguilera, La Toya Jackson, and Jack Nicholson under the same roof? Well, other than Nicholson's house (just kidding, Jack), the answer, of course, is Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles. Here, half a designer's job is to draw attention away from the star circus in the front row.
That need to out-show the show people explains why chose to unleash a glitter-and-hot-pants-wearing male hoop dancer (paging Chris Kattan's Saturday Night Live character Mango) in the middle of his show. More advisable were his ruffled sweaters and exaggerated tweeds. The next night, at , the runway was awash in pasties and colorful lace panties, along with whips, Zorro-style eye masks, and a handful of very sweet striped bikinis all of which played well to the burlesque-loving music and club contingents in the crowd.
That's not to say that there wasn't any "fashion" to be found in town. , whose proud papa, Jack, showed up roughly an hour past official starting time, was on the right track with some curve-skimming, butterfly-sleeve dresses in rich silk printed with whimsical patterns she dubbed Pirate, and Lock and Key. Her blousy minidresses are bound to be a hit with the Hollywood crowd (if Lara Flynn Boyle's hoots and claps of approval from the front row are any indication).
Skinny, ink-black leggings or tights under abbreviated skirts and oversize tops, often cinched with a wide belt, were one consistent motif. Juan Carlos Obando sent out some well-made versions of this look in coal black and gray. , meanwhile, showed meticulously tailored stretch-satin evening gowns, along with balloon-sleeve tops and coats over leggings and boots.
The neat-as-a-pin, restrained touches of his stylist, Brana Wolf, were a welcome dose of sophisticated simplicity.
The tulip-skirt-and-leggings craze continued at later that night. Mischa Barton (the new face of the brand) watched the parade of strapless minidresses with bubble hems, high-waist pants, and structured cinch-waist jackets from the front row, as did Francis Bean Cobain, representing Bebe's young fan base.
You have to hand it to designer David Cardona for balancing elegance and the trendy spirit of the brand, and the counterspy styling of costume designer Arianne Phillips was a big boost.
The most-coveted seats of the week, though, were at events that happened more discreetly, like Alber Elbaz's quiet Lanvin show at the Tower Room for Kate Bosworth, Kerry Washington, and company or Jesse Kamm's well-attended presentation at Kaviar and Kind. re-created her Paris show, with dreamy evening dresses and an Ellen von Unwerth-Kirsten Dunst short film, at the Chateau Marmont.
And Charlotte Ronson hosted a show at the Library bar in the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel that turned into a dance party by night's end.
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