STYLE FW Runways Fall 2016: Hale Bob, Foxbait & Helen Lee

By Karen Ostlund at Style Fashion Week, located at Pacific Design Center Plaza, 
March 17-18-19   2016 in West Hollywood.   

           www.stylefashionweek.com

Hale Bob is inspired by Coachella

Daniel Bohbot, creator of Hale Bob explored another path again at their show Fall/Winter 2016 collections. 
 Inspired by the iconic music festival, Coachella, Bohbot unveiled a special collection for Summer 2016 that captures the spirit and style of that experience.

Hale Bob  Moroccan prints

“Fashion has evolved and fewer people than ever plan six months in advance. They want to have access to things that they see immediately. So I have decided upon a new train of thought for Ready-To-Wear: ‘See it now, buy it now, wear it now.’ This is why we will have four, rather than two collections per year,” said Daniel Bohbot. 

On March 17th, 2016 Hale Bob showcased 36 pieces at the Pacific Design Center for Style Fashion Week.
 
The Hale Bob 2016 Spring/Summer collection draws its inspiration from exotic paradises. The prints are based on everything from Moroccan tiles to jungle leaves, tropical florals and majestic animals, with boho-chic, paisley scarves and ornamental Silk chiffon tunics, voluminous maxi dresses and billowy caftans transport you to Coachella’s desert nights under the stars.
 All prints, hand-beading and special treatments are developed at the Hale Bob studio in Los Angeles, making each piece special and unique.

                                                                                                                    

Foxbait

Foxbait Fall 2016

Camille MacMillan and Matt Westray of Foxbait presented their F/W 16 collection during Style Fashion Week at the Pacific Design Center. They were bringing laid-back yet glamorous looks to the runway, Foxbait embodied feminine edge. 

Mixing classic sophistication in the form of crisp white blouses, collars and plaid patterns along with cool-girl grunge cues in the ripped stockings, a diverse array of boots and cozy layers of wool. The models strutted down the runway in bold rain boots that coordinated perfectly with their brightly colored lipstick. Foxbait is ideal for women looking for comfortable clothing with a polished edge.

HELEN LEE closed Style Fashion Week, March 19th at the Pacific Design Center with her F/W 16 collection led by new Gucci campaign model Rhiannon McConnell. 

Exploring the “sport-luxe” aesthetic, upcoming fall season sport chic and elegance collide on the HELEN LEE runway. 

     From geometric block patterns to eco-friendly faux fur and jacquard combinations, bomber jackets in satin silk to skirts and trousers in beaded velvet, and oversize cape coats in dazzling gold leather to pleated shirts in thick Eastern China cotton fabric – the  collection is full of contrasts between ultimate comfort and luxury sophistication. 

HELEN LEE Fall-Winter 2016 is a manifesto to laid-back and optimistic attitude Californian people embrace, but also a celebration of luxurious refinement that LA style is characterized by.

Helen Lee's geometric block patterns

Helen Lee, oversize cape coat

Art Hearts Fashion Fall 2016 Runways: Responsive Textiles, Yhta'k Designs, Rene Tyler, Koco Blaq, Joshua Christensen & Mister Triple X

By Karen Ostlund

(Hollywood, California)

Art Hearts Fashion brought ready-to-wear collections center stage at third day of Fashion Week, 
March 16 2016

Art Hearts Fashion's second day of renowned fashion shows brought edge, bold prints, and playful silhouettes to Hollywood at The Taglyan Complex. 

Sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Tuesday's shows featured men and womenswear with a 6 designer showcase including: RESPONSIVE TEXTILES, Yhta'k Designs, Rene Tyler, Koco Blaq, Joshua Christensen, and Mister Triple X. 

 Supermodel Janice Dickenson made an epic return to the runway closing out the evening in Mister Triple X. Celebrity models Jimmy Q, Alex Minksy, ANTM Alumni Mame Adjei and Kiara Belen also walked the runway for Art Hearts Fashion founder Erik Rosete for Mister Triple X.            

RESPONSIVE TEXTILESRESPONSIVE TEXTILES opened the showcase with their AW16 collection that explores the world of Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis (1927). With the stark drama that is characteristic of German Expressionism, this collection pays homage to the cinematic masterpiece.

With the stark drama that is characteristic of German Expressionism, this collection pays homage to the cinematic masterpiece. It is a story of contrasts being mediated into balance: Light versus darkness, air versus weight, man versus machine. This is Monumental Silence.

Responsive Textiles

Yhta'K (ya-tay) Designs

Yhta'K (ya-tay) Designs is a new clothing line company in Los Angeles, which is offering clothing for both men and women. Fashion Designer, Katherine Walker of Yhta'k designs was showcasing a timeless collection in memory of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Originally from Chicago, while listening to "Thriller" in her home design studio in 2012, she was inspired to design a full collection across her lines (Katherine Marie, Madame Marie, and MJW) to mirror Michael's style of dress. The pieces are a bit edgy with a touch of class in lace, full-leather, and satin Contemporary-Better silhouettes.

Joshua Christensen mens
butterfly shirt 
w/high leather belt

Left, designer Yhta'K with model wearing a leather dress 

                                 
Joshua Christensen has been designing in the LA market for over 6 years. He has appeared on Project Runway season 9, worked as a designer for Guess Inc, and has dressed top celebrities. Joshua Christensen is currently working on new labels both personal and for other companies. The FW16 collection is titled, "Sugarcoated" - 
A menswear concept collection using lighthearted pastels and playful designs. 

Joshua Christensen Fall 2016 collection titled, "Sugarcoated" -
 A menswear concept collection using lighthearted pastels and playful designs

Koco Blaq returned to present
fall 2016
showcase, Paradise Moana Collection

                                         Koco Blaq keeps in line with this current inspiration, "It's Never Fall in Paradise" as the upcoming collection looks to make a splash in presenting yet another tropical twist on its signature island-inspired line. Koco Blaq continues to bring a Polynesian presence to the forefront of the LA Fashion Week in the Fall 2016 previews. This particular line promises the market an extended summer.
         

Koco Blaq

Mister Triple X mens
2 piece floral suit

(Center) Miste Triple X w/Janice Dickinson and his models
Mister Triple X closed out day 3 of Art Hearts Fashion with "X ColleXion" featuring the brands signature metallic and bold prints. The collection features Adam and Eve printed jackets, camo pants, and the signature feminine silhouettes that set Mister Triple X apart as one of the names to be reckoned with in the fashion industry. Supermodel Janice Dickinson closed the show returning to the runway as only the first supermodel could.

Rene Tyler plus size
black cocktail dress

              

Janice Dickinson showing metallic dress
for Mister Triple X

                                 

Rene' Tyler  launched their new evening-wear collection "Premiere". Rene' Tyler is a sophisticated brand that gives plus-size women glamorous, red carpet designs in sizes 14 and above. The "Premiere" collection offers women with curves an upscale, high fashion alternative unlike any other brand.

Antonella Commatteo showcased a combined debut collection called, "Shreds," "Escape" and "Transition,"reflecting her personality, creativity, and inspiration. 

Antonella Commatteo,
Sheds design

Shreds design process where she "shredded fabric, turned seams inside out, and used black for the dark times and orange for the light at the end of the tunnel."  "The 'Escape' collection marries the elements of light bamboo and silk to create a unity of fresh pieces for the spring. These designs incorporate the season's colors and layering effects of partially hidden panels forming a silhouette for the modern, new age customer. My 'Transition' collection is inspired by the film Mad Max: Fury Road, sending out a strong and powerful message with an edge of sensuality." 

           

Pop art by Sham Ibrahim by entrance

                                                  




A full art gallery took place throughout the week  Hollywood's most talented artists including: Sham Ibrahim, Connie Kurtew, Eugene

Huffman, Josef Jasso, Molly Gruninger, Lillipop Saucedo and Omar Wysong with performances by

Purple Crush and SpaceCream.  
Art Hearts Fashion continues to support Make a Wish at

each of their shows granting wishes in various cities.

Antonella Commatteo,
orange fake fur w/black

                 

FHI Brands returned as official hair sponsor of Art Hearts Fashion, working behind the

scenes to create the diverse and innovative looks seen on the runway.

Cadillac Concierge joined Art Hearts Fashion this season as Official Car Sponsor.

A special thanks to April Love Pro Makeup Academy, SoyJoy, Monster Energy,

FHI Brands, Lunabar, Whole Foods Market, Nescafe, Hint Water, Cadillac Concierge,

Fotopod, Mosaic floral.event.design, Portraits of Hope, Make a Wish, AIDS Healthcare

Foundation, Illy Issimo, Skinny Pop, Santa Monica Healing, Skintech Studios Oz+Ōtz,

For the Stars Showroom, Creativ PR Showroom and VH1 Save the Music Foundation. www.artheartsfashion.com

right, Antonella Commatteo with model wearing
"Transition" fake fur dress

Art Hearts Fashion Fall 2016: Merline Labissiere, Joey Galon, Ccuoco, Czarina & Walter Mendez

By Karen Ostlund

Art Hearts Fashion Week, are the shows of record in Los Angeles, which this season brought designers, performers, and artists to showcase at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, March 14^th-17^{th 2016.}.

The fashion team of Art Heart Fashion partnered once again with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation as the title sponsor to help raise awareness for HIV/AIDS and to support the mission to put 20 million HIV patients on medication by the year 2020.

The March 15th evening runway shows featured preview fall fashion 2016 by: Joey Galon Atelier, Czarina, and House of Ccuoco, Merline Labissiere and Walter Mendez. 

Well-known faces who came out to celebrate the talented artists and designers included Jon Lovitz, NFL Player James Anderson, Cory Feldman and Peter Madrigal. 

Merline Labissiere fall 2016,
architectural details

Merline Labissiere opened the evening show with a collection inspired by the traveled roads in Haiti. Each architectural detail and geographic image inspired the new silhouettes and shapes that both accent and contour the female form appropriately for both work and play.

                                     

Merline Labissiere jacket

Merline Labissiere: "I design for the creative woman working in a professional, business environment. My brand is all about my quest to combine architecture and fashion. This season, my collection tells the story of the road which people in Haiti commute from one location to the next. The combinations of these roads create new, unexplored shapes and spaces. Looking through satellite lens at the road map running across the island of Haiti and combining these lines with contemporary architectural floor plans create the vision of this collection. Each architectural detail and geographic image inspired the new silhouettes and shapes that both accent and contour the female form appropriately for both work and play". www.merlinelabissiere.com @mlabissiere
                        

Joey Galon Atelier swimsuit wraps

Joey Galon, ATELIER : Reality TV Personality, Joey Galon launched for his is very first time at fashion week. Joey Galon, ATELIER featured "Once Upon a Dream" , a themed collection of regal evening gowns and swimsuit wraps for a royal experience of exquisite fashions. www.joeygalon.com

Twitter: @JoeyGalon IG: @JoeyGalon

Czarina silks and viscose eye-catching resort wear

Czarina: 

An Autralian collection of jewel encrusted silk resort wear and silk-kaftans.

Eye-catching vibrant colors and black/white, delicate/bold patterns, stylish graphic prints blended with a contemporary "twist" to attract attention. The creations come in a combination of fabrics including silks and viscose and highly versatile.Designer Nikki for Czarina showcased a collection reverberate with detailing and hand made embellishments of semi precious stones, beads and silk threads. 

Headpieces by 'What a Betty' accessorized the runway show. www.czarinakaftans.com.au

House of Ccuoco fall
2016, studs and lace pants

House of Ccuoco fall 2016, leather and lace embroidery

Designer Candice Cuoco said of her final collection for Project Runway Season 14: “My collection is a true reflection of who I am as a woman and designer. Project Runway has launched me into a dream that has quickly became a reality. In just the short time on the show I have grown exponentially & this collection is my testimony to that". www.ccuoco.com

Walter Mendez Fall 2016 Bridal dress

Walter Mendez closed the show with an epic collection transitioning from never seen before bridal looks, to evening gowns in black w/gold black. seductive tops and lace pants. The collection remained darkly seductive in navy yet youthful with impeccable embellishment and lace detailing. 

Walter Mendez Couture Fall 2016

 Walter's work is regularly featured on celebrities, television, editorials and red carpets, and is honored to count the world's leading ladies as clients such as Jennifer Lopez, Ciara, Selena Gomez, and has also been featured in publications as Vogue, People Magazine, Women's Wear Daily and Apparel News.  waltercollection.com, Social Media: @wltrcollection

FHI Brands returned as Official Hair Sponsor of Art Hearts Fashion, working behind the scenes to create the diverse and innovative looks seen on the runway. Cadillac Concierge joined Art Hearts Fashion this season as official car Sponsor. 

A special thanks to AIDS Healthcare Foundation, April Love Pro Makeup Academy, SoyJoy, Monster Energy, FHI Brands, Lunabar, Whole Foods Market, Nescafe, Hint Water, Cadillac Concierge, Fotopod, Mosaic floral.event.design, Portraits of Hope, Make a Wish, The Daily Front Row, Illy Issimo, Skinny Pop, Santa Monica Healing, Skintech Studios, Jessie Liu, Exhale Spa, For the Stars Showroom, Creativ PR Showroom and VH1 Save the Music Foundation.
Runway photos by Arun Nevader, red carpet photos by Karen Ostlund

Candice Cuoco with her models on the red carpet

Merline Labissiere with her models on the red carpet

www.artheartsfashion.com

Walter Mendez models on the red carpet

Natural Products Expo West reaches 77,000 attendees & Award winning Products 2016

By Karen Ostlund Natural Products Expo West grows by 6.9% to 77,000 Attendees at the World’s Largest Natural Products Event Experience in Anaheim, March 9-13 2016. Many health food and skincare brands were showing at award season's gifting suites in Los Angeles, as a pre-presentation to the expo. Next stop for Natural Products Expo is the east coast event at the Baltimore Convention Center, September 21-24 in Baltimore, MD. The 36th annual Natural Products Expo West & Engredea, the world's largest natural, organic and healthy products event, experienced another record-setting year with 6.9 percent growth, and played the host to more than 77,000 attendees. The event brought together an inspired community of industry members and more than 3,000 exhibiting companies, including more than 600 first-time exhibitors.  The show, was held March 9-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center, is produced by the recently re-branded New Hope Network.  Vega Sport Performance Protein Chocolate For the second year in a row, New Hope Network expanded the event’s exhibit space to encompass the entire Anaheim Convention Center campus. In addition to traditional exhibit halls, new exhibitors showcased hot products at the Hilton Hotel Anaheim. The official Natural Products Expo West “Best of West: Press Award” went to: Suja Organic Crushed Raspberry Probiotic Water. Suja Organic Crushed Raspberry Probiotic Water. Runners-up included Vega Sport Performance Protein Chocolate and Justin’s Maple Almond Butter with Pretzels Pack.  The winner of the NEXT Accelerator Natural Products Business School Pitch Slam was Veggie Fries. Veggie Fries are frozen french fries made from a blend of all-natural, farm grown vegetables, legumes, and potatoes, chopped and blended together with herbs, spices, and just a pinch of sea salt. They are vegan, non-GMO certified and free of the top 8 allergens including gluten, soy, dairy, and wheat. Each batch of Veggie Fries provides a crispy texture on the outside, fluffy and tender on the inside. Every variety has at least 27% of non-potato vegetables and legumes, containing 9 vegetable servings and a substantial amount of vegetable nutrition in every 14oz bag.          Justin’s Maple Almond Butter with Pretzels Pack Denise Day, Marketing Director at Boulder, CO-based Bhakti Chai said, “We are so excited to be here at Expo West to launch our new line. This event has been the perfect timing right ahead of our summertime new product launch when we will have even wider distribution for new items with many of the retailers we met with right here in Anaheim.”

Natural Products Expo West is the preeminent show for spotting trends in the food and CPG industry. The content and research team at New Hope Network tracked the following macro forces and consumer trends this year: Ancient Wisdom, Transcendent Transparency, Snackification, Feed Me!, The Rehabilitation of Science and The Value(s) Shopper. For examples of related trends and exciting new products that support each trend visit the online gallery at newhope.com. The NEXT Forecast 2016 projects strong growth for the natural products industry. U.S. consumer sales of natural, organic and healthy products are forecasted to expand 64 percent from $153B in 2013 to $252B by 2019, including growth of 9 percent per year driven in part by new and emerging brands. “Natural Products Expo West serves as a launching pad for innovation from entrepreneurial brands to more established companies looking to keep up with shifts in consumer demand,” said Carlotta Mast, Executive Director of Content and Insights, New Hope Network. “Evolving shopper tastes and values have positioned the natural products industry as a major force in what products end up on shelves from natural stores to more conventional supermarkets.” The education program offered a full docket of topics as well as keynote presentations from Sam Kass, former White House Personal Chef; Erik Weihenmayer, author, adventurer and activist; and Marth Rogers, acclaimed author and business strategist. Taylor Collins, Co-founder/Chief of EPIC Provisions said, “Expo West embodies the essence of natural products and has created some of my most beloved and greatest memories as an entrepreneur. It is the quintessential gathering of cutting edge natural foods brands and the highlight of my year. The most influential and amazing people in our lives were met on the conference show floor.” Natural Products Expo West 2017 is scheduled to take place March 8-12 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  To see show highlights watch the Natural Products Expo West 2016 “Find Your Spark” video. www.newhope.com.