Best of the West: From Lounge to Lunch

So we may not have any hundred-year-old couture houses or a fashion week that people actually go to, but there are certain things that LA does better than anyone else when it comes to fashion. Basics and lounge clothes are the obvious ones, but there are definitely others, which is why I've decided to start this new category of posts called...wait for it...'Best of the West'. It'll basically just be a regular, themed top 3 list of West Coast brands that deserve a bit of recognition for what they're doing, whether it's something traditionally 'California' or not.

So, to start, I thought I'd go with something we've probably been doing a lot of lately - nothing. It's new year and, for the next few weeks, at least, everyone I know has taken a vow of sobriety and relaxation - which naturally brings with it lots of PJ-wearing. LA is obviously known for its laid-back lougewear, so check out my picks for the top 3 West Coast brands that work equally well for bed or brunch, if you're so inclined - after all, no one can stay in ALL the time:

1. T Luxury

If you're more yoga-in-Malibu than kickboxing-at-Equinox, T Luxury is probably the brand for you. The brainchild of Laguna couple Joe and Jacqueline Krafka, the line is full of supple and soft loungewear basics in blends of Supima cotton, silk and cashmere. Its stretchy simplicity makes it ideal for relaxing in child's pose.

Available at www.bluefly.com

2. Seaton

Not sure about you, but I often wish I could wear sweats all day, every day - and the thing is, I probably would if they weren't so lumpy and unattractive. So it's probably a good thing I haven't spent any time in shops that sell Seaton. Yet another husband-and-wife line (interesting...), Seaton is a line of perfectly fitted-and-faded fleece hoodies and drawstring pants, going perfectly from DVD marathons to marathon training when the January funk has passed.

Available from www.revolveclothing.com

3. Saint Grace
A favorite of the Hollywood set, and with good reason - with fabrics like Egyptian cotton, wool jersey and luxe cashmere, this line was made for only the most pampered of princesses. Launched by designer Quinn Thompson in 2001, Saint Grace is full of lounge-worthy basics with a slinky 70s twist - think ultra wide-legged pants and retro stripey sweatshirts.

Available from http://www.saintgrace.com/

Where T-bars meet T-squares

If you think the only link between fashion and architecture is that cool Prada store on Rodeo, you're very much mistaken. The history of fashion is filled with designers who trained as architects before swapping classic columns for column dresses - think Alaia and Pierre Cardin for starters.

It's a little bit more rare today, with almost every art school offering courses in fashion design, for designers to come from the architecture world, but the two disciplines are still very much influenced by each other. Case in point - an upcoming exhibition at Somerset House in London called 'Skin & Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture.' It's set to compare the work of designers like Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, Hussein Chalayan - basically, every designer you can think of who has a way with a sharp line and an eye for innovative structuring - with architects like Zaha Hadid and Frank Ghery, highlighting the, well, parallels between the two.

Am not sure if it's going to include designers who actually did train as architects, as there are certainly several of them working today, including some of my favorites. I have a hunch that the following probably won't be included, so I will enlighten you all with a list of them here instead:

1. Nicola Finetti

Whoever said Australian fashion is all about unstructured sundresses and empire waists has clearly never seen the work of Nicola Finetti. After studying architecture in Rome and a brief stint in Argentina, Finetti moved to Australia to pursue womenswear design, launching his own label in 1995. His work is all about contrast and contradiction -his collections are always very feminine , consisting pretty much solely of skirts and dresses, yet are still very sleek at the same time. Also, despite the fact that each dress has a very definite structure (a result of that architecture training, I imagine), they still manage to look totally comfortable - I could picture myself wearing any of the ones below to a beach barbie. He also has a way with pattern repitition, like on the skirt above, that reminds me of a frieze on a building:

Photos courtesy of Vogue.com.au ; http://www.nicolafinetti.com/

2. Max Kibardin

In the tradition of Alaia before him, Max Kibardin has mastered the art of creating shoes that manage to be both delicately sexy, yet sculptural at the same time. The ex-model's shoes have all the qualities of a great work of contemporary architecture - they're both sturdy and light, have gorgeously curved arches, and a look that's very distinctly their own. And the color! I challenge anyone to look at a pair of Kibardin's shoes and not start squealing like a kid who's just got her first pony (on the inside, at least). He studied architecture in Russia before moving to Milan for fashion, which sort of explains the jewel tones and ornamentation:

www.maxkibardin.com

3. Ninaki

Ninaki rings remind me of the Disney Center in downtown LA, and not just because they're big and shiny- they're the kind of thing that you either love or hate, depending on your definition of beauty. I love them, for all of their soaring, steely, imposing, take-your-breath-away magnitude. Designed by SciArc graduate Ninaki Priddy, the collection is a mix of the organic and macabre. The organic is quite clear, with the rings taking on polished, yet strangely amoeba-esque shapes. The noir side, too, is evident, especially in the names she's given the pieces - think Cruella and Contessa:

www.ninaki.com

One to Watch: Dorothy Lee

LA fashion is often deemed "wearable," which is basically a nice way of saying boring. True, t-shirt dresses and $300 jeans are hardly the stuff of six-page Vogue spreads, but most of us will agree there's something to be said for simple, yet flattering pieces that don't require a lot of effort. I, for one, can't say I miss the rigors of London's competitive dressing, where artful layers and ironic accessorizing are as essential to an ensemble as underwear (well, it's essential outside of Hollywood, anyway).

That said, Dorothy Lee's eponymous label is wearable in the best possible way. Yes, the Angeleno's Spring collection involves a lot of jersey tank dresses in neutral colors - but the jersey she uses is so soft, so luxuriously light that it looks like it was hand-woven by cherubs. Yes, she appears to have a penchant for camp shorts, but by cutting a six-inch horizontal slit where cuffs should be, she lends them a sinister, subversive sexiness, making them look as though they were carelessly torn in some sort of illicit tryst. And yes, the line's tops and jackets are mostly of the loose-fitting babydoll variety, but they incorporate the most subtle of draping and pleating and ruffling, propelling them just far enough over the line between classic and interesting. Is little wonder, really, considering Lee's background - anyone who's descended from an architect and interior designer, trained at Central Saint Martins and Parsons, and an alum of Peter Som and Chanel is bound to know how to make less look like so much more.

If the girl who's a fan of this deliciously wearable line is boring - well, I guess I'm Lauren Conrad.

All images from Dorothy Lee's Spring 2008 Lookbook. Collection available at www.revolveclothing.com

One to Watch: Rami Kashou

The L.A. Fashion Awards are nearly upon us again - on Friday October 26th, to be exact - and along with the usual suspects, there's a name on the nominee list I really think is worth watching.

That name is Rami Kashou, a Palestine-born designer and Project Runway alum who has worked on both sides of the fashion business - first studying design at Brooks College, then working as a retail buyer and merchandiser, then moving back into design.

Because of this bredth of experience, Kashou has the unique perspective of knowing what women want to buy - and also how to create those things with technical elan. What's remarkable is the fact that he's largely self taught - he didn't finish his degree at Brooks - given the intricacy and detail of his pieces.

Take his Spring / Summer 07 collection, for example - full of razor-sharp pleating, complicated corsetry and skirts with the perfect pitch of volume, it's full of the technical wizardry that would be expected from a St. Martins-trained designer. My favourite pieces in the collection are his tailored flutter-sleeved blouses - it's no secret to most that I'm having a sleeves moment this season, and these capture the mood perfectly without seeming too fussy or fairy-princess.

Rami Kashou - available at www.letrainbleu.com

one to watch: reiss

i've never been a huge fan of reiss - have always thought it a bit dull, a bit corporate, a bit unadventurous - and i don't think i'm alone. however, i am really impressed with their spring '07 collection, which arrived in stores this week, so much so that i actually wanted to buy almost everything i saw.

thin heather grey cotton jersey dresses with interesting pleating around the necklines...jewel-toned silk pencil skirts with big buttons up the front...oversized cardis with massive, graphic buttons styled over beaded flapper dresses...everything completely on-trend for the upcoming season, with the potential to be a staple piece of my spring wardrobe. am definitely going to be making a trip back there once pay day rolls around...

one to watch: alice ritter

already the darling of new york's fashion elite, alice ritter has recently been caught on my radar - and i'm loving what i've seen. the french-born designer has been showing her sweetly romantic collections in new york for the past three seasons - all of which have evoked a nostalgic sense of casual, off-duty glamour that is ever so old hollywood.

my favourite pieces are ritter's signature bubble shorts - even though they tick multiple trend boxes for next season (high waist; micro length; volume), they are still faintly reminiscent of a simpler, bygone era, like something one would wear to pick blueberries along with a headscarf of some persuasion.

according to the designer's official website, her collections aren't yet available in the UK - so big smokers will need to hop across to collette if they want to score something from ritter's new season collection.

*image thanks to New York Magazine*