Fashion from Coachella

Coachella rolled through California for another non-stop weekend of music, art and of course fashion! The hippie spirit of music festivals delivered lots of lace, feathers, crochet and loose, languid bottoms. Maxi skirts were in full force, while denim shorts were rediscovered with sexy styling from thousands of girls. Be still our hearts as Americana was reinvented literally and through leather vests, shorts and boots. This choice was daring for the desert, but these band aids made it work by mixing it with feminine textures and delicate pieces.

Check back for more of our fashion forward festival sightings in the coming weeks!

www.directiveswest.com

FIRST.LA VIDEO PREVIEW

Here's a sneak peek of the most recent FIRST.LA runway show. The exciting presentation of the best in Los Angeles contemporary fashion for the season was held on March 14th. The show kicked off with the latest brand from reality starlet Whitney Port, Whitney Eve. YuYu, Twinkle by Wenlan, J Brand, James Icon, Dolce Cabo and Hazel, also represented California cool to its fullest with their new collections hitting all the right trends for the Fall 2011 season.

For more information and to view the complete video: www.directiveswest.com

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Positive press has been pouring in for the latest installment of FIRST.LA! Directives West selected the best in Los Angeles contemporary fashion for the seasonal runway show held on March 14th. Featuring the latest brand from reality starlet Whitney Port, the show kicked off with the eclectic collection of printed knits, skirts and dresses, evoking a girly vibe with a touch of sass, for Whitney Eve. YuYu, Twinkle by Wenlan, J Brand, James Icon, Dolce Cabo and Hazel, represented California cool to its fullest with their new collections hitting all the right trends for the Fall 2011 season.

Dolan, a Los Angeles favorite for its authentic and easy approach to fashion, was selected by guest stylist and LA fashion blogger, Laurie Brucker of Laurie B Style. Erin Weinger of Style Section LA chose to feature and style the sophisticated collection by Kolae, while Hellin Kay, the third guest blogger and stylist, presented 50 Dresses for the exclusive runway show.

Stellar reviews from InStyle.com, MTV Style, Harper's Bazaar UK, and countless blogs, such as BTY Style Guide, MYFDB blog and more!

www.directiveswest.com

FIRST.LA RUNWAY SHOW IN 1 WEEK!

The countdown begins as it’s less than a week until FIRST.LA launches fashion week in Downtown Los Angeles!

Join us as we present a dynamic mix of directional contemporary designers, including: Jbrand, Dolan, James/Icon, Twinkle by Wenlan, Whitney Eve, 50 Dresses, Kolae and more!

For FIRST.LA FALL 2011 we keep it fresh by collaborating with our favorite LA STYLE BLOGGERS: HELLIN KAY of CHAMPAGNE + HEELS, ERIN WEINGER of STYLE SECTION LA and LAURIE BRUCKER of LAURIE B STYLE and reveal their exciting CURATED RUNWAY SECTIONS, featuring their choice LA DESIGNER!

MONDAY, MARCH 14^th 2011
Cocktails – 5:30 PM
Runway Show – 6:00 PM

www.directiveswest.com

FIRST.LA - March 14th, Downtown LA

For more information regarding this exciting event contact Directives West.

www.directiveswest.com

FIRST.LA TO FEATURE TOP FASHION BLOGGERS

FIRST.LA will feature the best in contemporary fashion with curated sections by our favorite stylish bloggers from Los Angeles. Stay tuned to find out who!

The show resumes for its 2nd season, March 14th - get ready!

www.directiveswest.com

What They Were Wearing

Directives West scouted out the most fashionable designers and attendees at the most recent installment of PROJECT in Las Vegas. Heavy knit sweaters were spotted on guys, while the ladies opted for leather jackets and vests as their topper. Slim pants with gathered or cuffed ankles in twill and denim dominated for both men and women. Mixing textures, like fine gauge knits with woven fabrics, created offbeat layered combinations and touches of lace, crochet and fringe added a hint of 70's chic.

www.directiveswest.com

General Quarters

General Quarters had a quiet arrival in Decemeber across from American Rag CIE, but it is garnering attention as a must-see shop along La Brea Avenue. Owner Blair Lucio has curated an impressive selection of apparel, jewelry, bags, books, boots and more. Inspired by heritage, nautical, aviation and automotive memorabilia, which helps to explain the Triump TR6 bike for sale in the window, which is the same model Steve McQueen rode around in The Great Escape. For a more classic look, check out the Gant Rugger shirts, Life After Denim sweaters and resonably priced tees, mixed in amongst a smart collection of vintage chambray shirts, racing gloves and military duffel bags.





General Quarters
153 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

http://www.directiveswest.com/

The Spare Room

The Spare Room has officially opened on the Mezzanine level of the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. This new, classy gaming parlor features two bowling lanes, custom board games, and specialty cocktails from a sophisticated menu. Once inside the double door entrance, guests will immediately notice the vintage bar to the right, accented with brass and leather, while the long main room is essentially divided in half, with booths and seating to one side, and the bowling lanes on the other. An eclectic mix of antiques brings a timeless elegance to the atmosphere with studded leather tops on tables, vintage steamer trunks, and sofas next to a low bookcase that runs the length of the lanes. Bowling is $100 an hour for up to six people, including $700 bespoke shoes made exclusively by LA-based Esquivel. Beyond bowling, guests are welcome to break out the other games, including artisan versions of backgammon, dominoes, and Connect Four, from behind a locked glass display case. The Spare Room also offers a photo booth, which is hidden behind the wall where the bowling shoes are stored. Have even more fun for $5 while posing for four photos with supplied props. What a night!

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.769.7296

www.directiveswest.com

Los Angeles Arts Month

Los Angeles is truly the creative capital of North America. January is officially LA Arts Month in hopes of raising awareness, appreciation, and participation in the arts in Los Angeles, in all forms. This city wide event is an open invitation for Angelenos and guests to discover the city's arts and cultural offerings. Everyone has the opportunity to experience an entire month of free events across the expansive city that includes art, music, dance and unexpected public art works. Enjoy the best the art world has to offer without leaving Los Angeles.

For programming information please visit laartsmonth.org.

www.directiveswest.com

Raw Edges Exposed @ Em and Co.

EM & Co, a West 3rd Street boutique, supplies fashion-conscious shoppers with a well-orchestrated mix of fashions from world-class designers (i.e., Vivienne Westwood, Iodice, Stella McCartney, JC de Castelbajac, Beatriz, Anna Sui), as well as innovative styles from emerging L.A. talent. Featuring over 30 lines from around the world in its gallery-like space, EM & Co is also an active supporter of local talent, hosting monthly art exhibits and other events featuring local artists and designers. Greta Back's first solo exhibit in Los Angeles, "Raw Edges Exposed," explores the various aspects and symbols of her new-found freedom. Moving to L.A. from Seattle in April 2009 was not only a fresh start, but a way to conquer her fears, particularly her fear of sharing her art with anyone. This series is an investigation of color. She dug up long-buried bits of knowledge picked up in color theory classes, while studying sculpture at the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston, and re-learned the many ways that colors push and pull against one another. Since Gouache is a medium that doesn't blend, she chose to use pixels to represent a broader area of color, while seeing how the smaller units interact with each other, in a newly-found freedom.

December 16 - January 19, 2011
Em & Co.
7940 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Unique LA + Apt 3 Pop-up Shop

Unique LA, the indie designer show held downtown that is growing in popularity each season, recently celebrated a more permanent opening, of sorts. Teaming up with two of LA's influential retailers, Apt. 3 and H.D. Buttercup, the show has created a pop-up shop worthy of the most refined and sophisticated shoppers the city has to offer. The combination of furniture, designer clothing, accessories, gifts and more creates a true lifestyle approach with this new boutique. For its opening party, the 4,000 square foot space was jam packed with hipsters, fashionistas and the like. The large section of H.D. Buttercup belongs to this first in-house pop-up shop for four months, at that point, organizers are looking to expand with a permanent location in San Francisco.

LA Fashion Week

Although it lasts longer than a week, Los Angeles made a strong showing again this season for its edition of Fashion Week. With events and shows spanning across the city, one of the major draws was downtown's Concept Fashion Week featuring, martinMartin, Jen Awad, MILA, Mike Vensel, Elmer Ave, Fremont, among others.

LA Fashion Weekend returned to the Sunset Gower Studios for a full schedule including, Joyrich, Balthaczar, JLMarks and the Green Initiative Humanitarian show featuring several promising contemporary designers using eco-friendly practices. Other events like, Project Ethos in Beverly Hills and a runway show at Exchange LA drew crowds to view the spring lines of designers Anthony Franco, Ashton Michael and hometown favorite Skin Graft. Brands like Siwy Denim and up-and-coming AI FOR AI chose retail boutiques to offer an intimate and up close look at their next collections.

Runway Presentation from Directives West FIRST.LA

Returning for a second season, FIRST.LA hit the runway, marking the kick off to another season's market week. Offering an exclusive first look at the best contemporary styles for spring 2011, Directive West's market analysts selected some of the best emerging brands and designers to shine a light on. Under the twilight of downtown LA, the show featured local favorites Whitley Kros, BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND and Yana K., as well as promising up and coming lines, AI FOR AI, Moon Collection, Champagne and Strawberry, A. Mullier, COUTURE by W., fraiche, gwynedds, and R.P.S. The upbeat vibe was in full gear as industry insiders crowded into seats and grabbed the best standing option available for the sneak peek into some of the lines bringing a positive outlook to spring business.

The spring 2011 contemporary trends include:

Sheer Encounters - bringing femininity and vintage romance to the season in cool neutrals

Leisure Life - effortless dressing catches on with a hint of classic Americana

Global Affairs - multi-cultural destinations inspire eye-catching prints and eclectic color

Precious Armor - minimalist appeal through textural manipulation and modern refinement

The Softer Side

Tapered, softly tailored trousers continue to be strong moving into fall. With new looks emerging in prints, both knit and woven styles remain as the latest go-to bottom in Los Angeles. Perfectly suited for professional and party time, these pleated harem-like and carrot top silhouettes match cropped tops, sweaters and structured jackets hitting big for the season.

Taste Art

Taste Art is a series of one-of-a-kind cultural dining experiences that bring together fine art and haute cuisine, presented by The Avenues: Art, Fashion and Design District. Each Tuesday evening throughout October, The Avenues of Los Angeles will host a series of innovative dining events that pair West Hollywood's premier art galleries and restaurants. "Art Tastings" will take place at participating restaurants with special prix-fixe menus featuring diverse and inventive collaborations between the city's hottest chefs and art curators, designed for every style, taste, and budget.

For a complete list of participants and full schedule, visit: www.avenueswh.com

A Frill A Minute

This season, the ladies of Los Angeles have graduated from charm school with a refined take on frothy fashion. Ruffled tiers and trims are adding femininity to their summer looks late in the season. With cascading sleeves adding big body volume and a softened structure to this style, these stylistas are adding fluidity to their fashion. As vintage romance moves into fall, expect delicate details to appear with boyish looks and military inspired pieces.

Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915

Celebrating the museum's recent groundbreaking acquisition of a major collection of European men's, women's, and children's garments and accessories, Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915 will present a selection to the public for the first time.

The exhibition will tell the story of fashion's aesthetic and technical development from the Age of Enlightenment to World War I. It will examine the sweeping changes that occurred in fashionable dress spanning a period of over two hundred years, with a fascinating look at the details of luxurious textiles, exacting tailoring techniques, and lush trimmings.

Highlights will include an eighteenth-century man's vest intricately embroidered with powerful symbolic messages relevant to the French Revolution; an evening mantle with silk embroidery, glass beads, and ostrich feathers designed by French couturier Émile Pingat (active 1860-96); and spectacular three-piece suits and gowns worn at the royal courts of Europe.

October 2, 2010-April 3, 2011

LACMA
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.857.6000

Subliminal Projects

Subliminal Projects will present Printed Matters, a solo exhibition featuring the work of renowned artist Shepard Fairey. Printed Matters, which focuses on the importance of printed material, and incorporates every variety of Shepard's printed works, works on wood, metal, album covers, and fine art collage papers. As co-owner of Subliminal Projects, along with his wife Amanda Fairey, this is Shepard's first experience exhibiting at the Echo Park location since the gallery moved in 2008. The printing press may have begun the democratization of art, but another printer evolved it both conceptually and practically. Andy Warhol made art based on accessible products and personalities from pop culture. In addition to his attempts to democratize art through his subject matter, Warhol used screen-printing to produce multiple versions of his images. Where elitism, preciousness, and scarcity had been the ruling principles in the art world, Warhol embraced commercial reproduction techniques and mass culture.

September 16th - October 9th, 2010
Subliminal Projects Gallery
1331 West Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
info@subliminalprojects.com

Connect the Dots

LA's female trendsetters are spot-on with the latest polka dot prints and patterns. As this is an emerging trend in the resort season, Angelenos are already opting for dots on dresses, skirts and tops. Ranging from speckled to spacious, this is a refreshing alternative to summer florals. Expect to see more of these looks as feminine and flirty continue to be important.