Los Angeles's inability to maintain a single cohesive Fashion Week concept has been widely publicized—particularly after the partnership between Smashbox and IMG dissolved last year. But in its place has arisen something of a fashion month; most of October will see fashion-related events in town, with clusters of events taking shape under multiple structural umbrellas.
Between October 12 and 20, the festivities and shows are officially centered around the downtown area, with market week in Hollywood from October 28 through Halloween. Among the early events was Sue Wong's preview for her spring 2010 collection at her historic home, the Cedars; Wong billed the October 8 event as an unofficial kickoff to L.A. Fashion Week.
Beverly Hills' own Walk of Style is on October 22, posthumously honoring Princess Grace of Monaco as well as Cartier. And Gen Art's annual Fresh Faces in Fashion moves from October 9 to October 29 to join the new Rock Fashion Week at Paramount Studios. Gen Art's event will include a live installation showcasing a sculptor who creates art from plastic cups.
For its part, New York-based Rock Media and Entertainment—which is also involved in the twice yearly Miami Fashion Week, known there, too, as "Rock Fashion Week," and in New York with Elle as a partner for a program called "Style 360"—has plans for a program including runway shows and after-parties, to end on Halloween. Rock Media president Nicole Purcell said in the spring that guests will include retailers and celebrities. "They're definitely out there, as much in L.A. as in New York. It will be an invitation [list], not open to the public through ticket sales, but we're going to open it to a lot of people. We don't want to shut anybody out."
As part of its programming, BoxEight will beckon designers to collaborate with photographers to shoot spring/summer 2010 looks. Events will kick off with an October 22 release party for Flaunt magazine's October issue. From October 22 through 26, designers will build installations and sets at BoxEight’s 12,000-square-foot studio and gallery space downtown, creating backdrops for photo shoots as press and industry folks interact with the creative talent on hand. The resulting images will comprise a supplement to be sent out with Flaunt's November issue.
