LA Fashion 'Week': Baubles for your Bubeleh

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Call us meshuggina, but we schlepped ourselves over to The Peninsula Hotel last week to see the Mode Israel L.A. jewelry exposition sponsored by hotel owner Offer Nissenbaum and Joe Simsolo, president of Simso Tex. The event featured work from some of the top Israeli jewelry designers in conjunction with the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles. The designers all flew in from Israel to attend L.A.'s Fashion Week, and the roster included Aura, Esther Kamin, Oolalaa, Sea by Smadar Eliasaf and Sexy Silver. Israeli broadcast journalist Carolyn Ben Natan emceed the event by The Peninsula's pool, with a short opening speech from Shahar Azani, the Israeli Consul for Culture, Media and Public Affairs.

The showcase began with fashions created by students of the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. Next, each designer took a moment to present their collections, gushing in both English and Hebrew about their inspirations, empowerment and overall affordability of their collections. The glitzy pieces featured standard silver and gold designs, but also incorporated materials like colored plastic and leather. Groups of models wandered through the crowd showcasing the jewelry, which was all surprisingly lightweight and flowing despite the chunky shapes (let's hear it for plastics!). Many designs were inspired by nature, eco-friendly and created by women. We kvell.
· Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles [Official Site]
· Mode Israel LA [Official Site]