GenArt’s Fresh Faces showcase is the most highly anticipated kick-off event for the LA Fashion Week because it represents a beacon of what’s next from new designers. Given that it’s in LA, many celebs were present, but in a town saturated with such banalities as Hollywood film celebrity, it’s the new fashion designers at GenArt that are the rockstars, in this case CW Christian Weber, Dorothy Lee, Marlova, Rhys Dwfen, Suh-Tahn, Wren, Endovanera, Orthodox, and accessory lines from Anita Hopkins, Cerre, Mannin Collection, and Shane by Brooks Salzwedel.

GenArt’s 10^th Fresh Faces show took place Friday night, October 12^th, at the Petersen Automotive Museum which is also known as the ill-fated location where The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggy Small) was shot just outside 10 years ago. The drama a decade later however was the fact that it was GenArt Fresh Faces 10^th Anniversary, meaning that it kicked-off with a short video of alumni designers including Project Runway winner Jeffrey Sebelia (who was also the event Emcee) who said that because of Fresh Faces, “My career just took off.” That’s the type of thing that happens to the select few chosen to premiere at Fresh Faces. And if this show is any indication, there’s going to be changes in women’s and menswear in the near future inspired by these top new designers who clearly have distinct, progressive attitudes as presented within their Summer ’08 collections.

In this first part of a 2-part series covering the collections, we’re focusing on the womenswear, with menswear designers Endovanera and Orthodox to be featured next week. The show started with Dorothy Lee and a sage silk cotton voile with cuffed shorts. While her collection had many bubble-bottom dresses and tops, the shorts were a unique aspect that gave bubble-bottom dresses a more tailored feel and will probably revitalize the concept of bubble-bottom tops and dresses among those who aren’t prone to wearing the style on its own. Other key pieces were the navy/black lightweight jersey jumpsuit, sand silk oxford jackets with back detailing, yellow silk cotton Voile with a ruffled collar, and a sand colored jumper with a scalloped hem which took on an undergarment recontextualized feel.

Wren featured hand-dyed T-shirts and silk dresses with vintage-inspired necklaces that combined a throw-back to the heroines of F. Scott Fitzgerald mixed with the modern girl today. Peach dresses, tea-stained cotton, pink silk, yellow, blue, and black were among the key colors for the silk-dress collection. A yellow-dyed jumper dress that billowed at the bottom was among the highlights of the collection, as well as a black mercerized cotton and organza backless top and pique shorts. Metallic, brocade-looking shorts and pleated school girl skirts were also important key looks that will probably be picked up on young girls in Japan in the very near future.

One of the most anticipated collections of the show was CW Christian Weber. Born and raised in Austria, Christian explained after the show that his inspiration for many aspects of this collection came from Barcelona and the architecture of Gaudi, “mixed with a Los Angeles vibe since this is where I live now.” The drama unfolded when the music cut-out for about 5 minutes, but the models continued walking down the runway, which had everyone cheering. As Christian explained, “The models wanted to know if they should continue and I told them you don’t stop a tango if the music stops. You keep dancing. But that was nothing—my first model fainted just before she was to walk down the runway!” And the show continued. Key looks for CW Christian Weber started with a leather-trimmed trenchcoat and jacquard tote bag, moving into cropped bolero shorts and zipper piping in black. His take on the ¾ sleeves on shirts and jackets for women was refreshing, as were ¾ length pants and perforated sleeves, tops, and an amazing short sleeved kimono dress. Other notables included the double strap dress and the finale of a black gown with leather pockets.

Next week stay tuned for the menswear designers from GenArt Fresh Faces including Orthodox and Endovanera.