Project Ethos Brings the Fashion and Fun

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While not a proper LA Fashion Week event, Project Ethos set up shop in Hollywood Friday night. Fashion, and a actual fashion show, was a major component of the event that showcased the offerings from new and emerging local designers and artists. Throw in a couple of DJs and live music performances, and you've got yourself a hot little party. (Which was not very little at all: the event was open to the public, and the Music Box theater felt filled to the brim.)

Even though we ourselves have been bellyaching about the lack of anything at LAFW that resembles an actual, proper NYFW runway show, the event was a winner. Partially owing to the use of the Music Box's rooftop and a glorious spring night. The setup was almost like a bazaar where designers and artists were not only previewing the goods that would go down the runway, but selling them, too. (We gotta confess: our favorite thing of the night was the crazy sunglasses collection by the Haus that Jane Built. Which makes us think: Hey Project Ethos people, next time, bring a photobooth!) Before the show, a DJ spun tunes on the roof, while Bruno Mars rocked the house inside.

As we made our way inside and pushed our way to the front of an eager, sweaty, sorta intoxicated crowd, we wondered if ever a mosh pit broke out at a fashion show. We did a reasonable job or muscling our way to the front, standing beside a petite little girl?and then her boyfriend showed up and stood right in front of us. Dude was 6'2", wearing a big-brimmed hat, and was very fidgety, so he wrecked most of our shots.

But honestly, the show was not so much about any one line in particular. In this setting, fashion was presented as entertainment, on equal footing with the bands and the art. In our opinion, this has been something sadly lacking in a lot of the LAFW shows and events that seem very dry and retail-oriented. Yes, we get fashion shows are about moving clothes, but can't we have a little magic and fun, too?

Participating designers included Rumple Munkeh, ARKA, EMEL Fashion, Haus of Estrada, Devious Damzels, Seth Wellington, Marialia and two lines from Project Runway alums, Haus of Estrada and GOGA by Gordana. We only saw 7 of the 8 lines—the camera battery died, and by this time, we'd been standing around in a pair of 4" Loubs for like three hours and same change and our feet were SCREAMING. We missed the Love Grenades and whatever other festivities happened after.

Fashion-wise, there were at least two lines that we straight-up didn't like, and a lot more than we couldn't remember very much about the next day. But the show is such a fun concept; we hope they don't wait six months to do another one in LA.
· Project Ethos [Official Site}