Archive - October 19, 2009

What better way to kick off the start of LA Fashion Week than an exclusive  fashion show featuring Cowgirl Heaven, Lola Summers, Rumple Munkeh and Leondra Renee. The event kicked off with a red carpet and some light refreshments (the fashion theme was in play for the gingerbread cookies and the mini shrimp were simply delicious). The actual presentation started PROMPTLY at 9pm and this is a rare moment in the fashion industry…. the shows never start on time! But Houstina Summers, who put the show together, along with her hubby, Michael Wellington and assistant Richauna Colston managed to pull it off on time without a hitch! And I applaud her for that! First off, there was a musical performance by country singer, Amanda Marsh and her brother, Travis and then the fashion festivities began…

First, a collection of classic dresses by Trail Angel walked the runway. The designer, Lola Summers (mother of Houstina) has been designing for 25 years. After re-starting her fashion career from being on hiatus, she was inspired by Houstina to be in the show. Her theme for her collection was “Classic Couture” and is based on the look of Old Hollywood and the feel of the ‘modern woman’. You can contact Lola at www.trailangel.etsy.com.

Japan decided to invade Santa Monica with the kimono inspired looks by Rumple Munkeh. Rochelle Carino paired her love of the Asian culture with “Memoirs of a Geisha” to create beautiful dresses and rompers in bold solids and prints. As an added bonus, the models even carried Asian fans and parasols. For more info, check out www.rumplemunkeh.com.

The city of Santa Barbara was the inspiration of Leondra Renee’s collection of shirts, skirts and dresses. She credits the city with its ocean views and the splashes of blues, greens and purples she saw and how windy it was during her visit, that helped her come up with the theme “Beauty in the Breeze”. Leondra Renee hopes to continue to provide draped, stylish and sometimes one-of-a-kind pieces to young professional women. For more info, check out www.leondrarenee.com!

There was a intermission between collections. Singer Destenee performed a few singles from her album. She has worn CG Heaven in her past music videos and it was only appropriate that she wore a dress from Houstina’s collection that evening. 

Which brings me to the last collection by Cowgirl Heaven. Love was in the air when Houstina Summers designed her collection, ironically themed, “Pure Love.” I recognized most of the pieces from previous shows, but the head pieces worn on the models were new, along with some long dresses, which caught my attention right away. When asked what her inspiration was involving the line, Houstina gave me these words, “I just love being in love and I just wanted to show that through my designs.” And yes, her love and passion has indeed shined through her designs. After her initial presentation, models from Runway Rhythm took center stage and performed their dance routines for the audience. 

It was certainly an evening filled with friends, red carpets, fashion, music and dance and an excellent start to LA Fashion Week!!!

SPECIAL THANKS: Houstina Summers (www.cowgirlheaven.blogspot.com & Etsy), Michael Wellington, Richauna Colston, realTVfilms, Lousine Karibian, Parris Harris, Aspic Studio, Taylr’z Joynt, Brittany Dixon Photography, Beauty Tech Studios, biatta intimates, Krystle PR Company, J, Runway Rhythm (www.runwayrhythm.com), designers and the models…