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LOS ANGELES -- Fashion week has always been a hard sell here but its apparent demise -- at least in the current form -- won't change the perception of Los Angeles as a key stop on the fashion merry go-round.
On Monday, Christopher Bailey of Burberry and Catherine Malandrino celebrated the relaunch and opening, respectively, of flagships here. Last week, Stefano Pilati of Yves St. Laurent was in town shooting his spring ad campaign.
L.A.-based designers appear almost sanguine about the end of the partnership between event producer IMG and Smashbox Studios in Culver City, where most of the fashion week shows were staged.
"I don't think the world thinks any less of us just because IMG is no longer here," designer Kevan Hall said.
"We were disappointed to hear the news, but this won't stop us from presenting our collection here," said Dimitry Tcharfas, co-designer of the Suh-Tahn line.
Designer Gregory Parkinson, a New York transplant, proved on Saturday night that a buzz-worthy event need not take place on a runway. A cocktail party for Parkinson, sponsored by TheFind.com and GLAM Media, at the hip Honor Fraser Gallery in Culver City attracted many chic women, from Parkinson muse and jewelry designer Liseanne Frankfurt and handbag designer Bridget Romanek to model Guinevere Van Seenus and actress Rachel Griffiths.
Moreover, celebrity stylists Tanya Gill, Jennifer Rade, Elizabeth Stewart, George Kotsiopoulos and Arianne Phillips - all absent from the Smashbox tents - also showed up to see Parkinson's creations, which were draped on mannequins beneath an Alexandra Grant mobile.
Too bad IMG and Smashbox couldn't duplicate the formula.
L.A.-based designers appear almost sanguine about the end of the partnership between event producer IMG and Smashbox Studios in Culver City, where most of the fashion week shows were staged.
"I don't think the world thinks any less of us just because IMG is no longer here," designer Kevan Hall said.
"We were disappointed to hear the news, but this won't stop us from presenting our collection here," said Dimitry Tcharfas, co-designer of the Suh-Tahn line.
Designer Gregory Parkinson, a New York transplant, proved on Saturday night that a buzz-worthy event need not take place on a runway. A cocktail party for Parkinson, sponsored by TheFind.com and GLAM Media, at the hip Honor Fraser Gallery in Culver City attracted many chic women, from Parkinson muse and jewelry designer Liseanne Frankfurt and handbag designer Bridget Romanek to model Guinevere Van Seenus and actress Rachel Griffiths.
Moreover, celebrity stylists Tanya Gill, Jennifer Rade, Elizabeth Stewart, George Kotsiopoulos and Arianne Phillips - all absent from the Smashbox tents - also showed up to see Parkinson's creations, which were draped on mannequins beneath an Alexandra Grant mobile.
Too bad IMG and Smashbox couldn't duplicate the formula.
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