Beverly Hills Fashion Festival

The first ever Beverly Hills Fashion Festival was held in a massive white tent near the Beverly Hilton. Along with the shows, various vendors were selling the season’s hottest must-haves and the hippest LA food trucks were cookin up delectable delights (cough Grilled Cheese Truck! cough). The event was hosted by Jonathan Antin of Bravo’s “Blow Out” and “Shear Genius” fame. I viewed the latest collections from Elie Tahari, Teresa Rosati and William Rast (H. Lorenzo also showed, but unfortunately I was unable to stay for it). Elie Tahari showcased his Pre-Spring 2010 collection- a mix of day and evening wear reminiscent of Old Hollywood Glamour. The next collection was by Polish designer, Teresa Rosati– whose first American debut featured cocktail and evening wear. I was in awe of the the detailing and design of the dresses. The fabrics and flow of the garments were perfect. The last line I saw was William Rast by Trace Ayala and Justin Timberlake. They also debuted their new accessories and shoe line. Inspiration for the 2010 collection would be the spiritual soul searching nomadic biker’s journey of North America mixed with some Native American as well. Signature pieces of the line would be the black fabric pants for the women and chinos, leather jackets and flannels for the men; and of course the denim for both sexes. William Rast denim is also known for their fit. According to designer Trace Ayala (JT was a no-show that evening), “It’s all about the measurements… but mainly it has to do with our back pockets…the stitching on the back pockets, because it is a ‘W’ and it kinda cuts up like that, I think it makes the fit look better for women…” WR also mixes up 50% Trace’s laid-back country boy (raised in Tennessee) style and 50% of Justin’s more dressed up style. Head’s up all William Rast fans, the line is also making its Target debut on December 19th!! Overall, I was impressed with the shows at BHFF and that there was a variety of food available and some shopping options during the breaks. There was comfortable, ample seating and plenty of people watching (I saw Valorie Curry, Mischa Barton and Paul Sorvino!) Can’t wait to next year’s show.

NOTE: And speaking of Valorie Curry…During one of the breaks, I met Tracey Silvers- who is launching the “Stop the Bullying” campaign and was handing out bracelets during the event. In light of the recent suicides due to bullying and because her daughter, who is autistic and gets bullied every day, she started the campaign. Proceeds from the bracelets go to The Trevor Project and the IAN community and the It Gets Better Project. Tracey tapped Twilight’s Breaking Dawn actress Valorie Curry to become the official spokeswoman of the campaign for the evening. Tracey believes that she stars in a movie whose target audience that’s involved in the bullying-those who are involved in it and doing it every day. “I believe we need to get together, as a people, and stop the whole idea of bullying someone who is different from you,” explains Tracey. For more information, please go to her website.

Special Thanks: J, Alicia Mohr of PMK-BNC, the designers, Ford Models, Valorie Curry, Tracey Silvers, all the staff/volunteers of BHFF.