LA Fashion Week: Whitley Kros Goes to London

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The Location: The gallery at Miauhaus photography studio on La Brea
The Skinny: Each season, Sophia Coloma and Marissa Ribisi send their fictional muse, nomadic it-girl Whitley Kros, on a journey to gather inspiration for their latest collection. This season, she took a backpacking trip through Eastern Europe, then stopped off to do a bit of shopping in London—all while listening to Yoko on her iPod, obviously.
Celebs Spotted: Compared to this week's other events, we felt like we were at the Oscars. Along with host Erika Christensen, we spotted Marissa's brother, Giovanni, and Devandra Banhart. Beck must have ducked out for some fresh air...
The Takeaway: Instead of a runway show, the designers created an art installation to showcase their collection. We could have spent all night taking in the Polaroids, maps, travel photos, souvenir trinkets and post-it reminders dotting the space, and while it definitely gave us a better idea of where the collection was coming from, the clothes almost got lost in the shuffle. A plaid jumpsuit, tribal-patterned blouses, vintage floral print tea dress, and embroidery-patterned flounced miniskirt were just a few of the pieces tacked up amongst the other ephemera on the walls. Live models would have helped bring the focus back to the clothes, but we applaud the designers for thinking outside the tired runway-and-cocktail party box.
· LA Fashion Week AW09 [Racked Archives]
· Whitley Kros [Official Site]