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1. New Moon Premiere Beckons 10,000 People and 2 Live Wolves

2. 6 New Venues for Los Angeles Holiday Parties

3. $4 Million MOCA Gala Breaks Fund-Raising Records

4. Us Weekly Takes to Voyeur With Scantily Clad Models, Burlesque Feel

5. American Music Awards Begin With Redesigned Arrivals, End With Downsized After-Party

6. Bouchon: Thomas Keller in Beverly Hills, With Indoor/Outdoor Dining, Private Room

7. MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

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10. Mandarin Oriental: High-End Lodging With 12,000 Square Feet of Function Space

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FROM NEW YORK

Morgan Loft Penthouse: Temporary Venue for Holiday Season

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News Archive for Lauren Conrad

NEWS 10.21.08 5:33 PM

L.A. Fashion Week Postmortem: What Went Wrong?

L.A. Fashion Week's October 2008 run
Photo: BizBash

Now that L.A. Fashion Week is a wrap in its former capacity, everyone involved is trying to isolate exactly why the shows here never took off as a major industry event, and what might be done to improve matters for potential future incarnations.

A lengthy story in Monday's Women's Wear Daily mused on some of the reasons for the ultimate failure of the five-year partnership between IMG and Smashbox Studios. It cited lack of profitability compared to other cities, inability to draw A-list stars and an infestation of B-list ones, sub-par designs, and a generally chaotic and crowded environment in Culver City, among myriad other causes. The story specifically called out the debacle surrounding the show for the collection by The Hills' Lauren Conrad—and the long, unwieldy line of wannabe showgoers eventually turned away before seeing it. One retailer quoted in the WWD report called the whole event "a joke." A designer called it "peripheral."

Still, the IMG-Smashbox partnership brought in $50 million for the city, according to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, and organizers are hopeful about renewed, rejiggered efforts in the future—especially while the state struggles under major money woes. —Alesandra Dubin

Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz, IMG, Lauren Conrad, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation

NEWS 10.15.08 11:59 AM

Lauren Conrad Show Draws—and Turns Away—Huge Crowd at L.A. Fashion Week

The crush at the Lauren Conrad show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week last night would seem to lend truth to the chatter that the local version of IMG's event is largely driven by tabloid celebrity culture rather than serious fashion presentations.

The show, which came with a nominal 8 p.m. start time, drew a massive crowd well in advance, and the line of hundreds eventually snaked clear around Smashbox Studios. Staff assured clamoring guests that the single line contained ordinary folks, press, and talent alike. At about 8:30, security announced that the show had begun and that publicists had cut off ticket distribution. The remaining group reluctantly and slowly dispersed without seeing the line from the star of MTV's pseudo-reality show The Hills.

Conrad's presentation—like the Pussycat Dolls' last season—pulled a considerably larger group than than did the other designers at L.A. Fashion Week, who may be lesser known in the entertainment industry, if not in the local fashion world. —Alesandra Dubin

Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz, IMG, Lauren Conrad