The last day of L.A. Fashion Week proved one thing: Skin is in. Between
Ashley Paige's parade of "couture" bathing suits and a runway show
turned concert featuring Pussycat Dolls lingerie, Thursday night's two
biggest attractions had not one stitch of actual clothing. But there
was no shortage of bronzed bodies, ruffle-trimmed undies and bras
adorned with bows.
Paige showed a 1920s inspired line of the knit suits she's know for.
The pale pink, powder blue and subtle nude swimwear had a "Pretty Baby"
feel. There was even delicate beading on the edges of a few tank tops,
which made them look much more like lingerie than "couture evening
bathing suits," as Paige referred to them in the show program. She can
call them what she likes -- it still doesn't make itty bitty swimsuits
any more relevant for fall weather.
A couple of cast members from "The Real Housewives of Orange County"
came to see Paige's show. Tamra Barney and Lauri Waring were intrigued
by the swimwear, unfazed that most of the suits are not waterproof. "We
don't get in the water anyway," Waring said. "Can't get the hair wet."
Sounds like a perfect match. Maybe we'll catch the ladies sunning in
the O.C. if the they come back for a fourth season of their reality
show.
Later that night, Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin presented her
lingerie collection, Shhh (isn't that really just a demure way of
telling someone to shut up?). The line definitely delivered demure --
and sexy. Models strutted down the runway wearing the retro lingerie,
and then the Pussycat Dolls performed four of their hit songs. The
event was more concert than fashion show, unless you count the Dolls'
normal outfits of hot pants, corsets or bras, so in essence they were
multi-tasking -- singing while doing some informal modeling, keeping
the fashion aspect in check.
Cute anchor appliqués, button details and sheer lace hearts were
all over the lingerie, but really, no one was focusing on those things.
Certainly not the men who made up the most famous front row of the
week. Sean Combs, Quincy Jones, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine came out to
see the Pussycat Dolls do their thing.
Still, Dre managed to distract attention from the runway -- the
crowd couldn't keep their eyes off his incredibly muscular upper body.
He looked as if he were wearing a muscle suit under his navy blue
thermal. Iovine, who heads the Dolls' record label, Interscope, was
barely visible beside Dre's hulking physique, mainly because of the
bright red leather jacket he was wearing. Iovine seemed genuinely
excited about the show. "I'm here to support Robin," he said.
On the other hand, Combs was trying for incognito, wearing all
black and hiding under the hood of his sweat shirt. Despite all the
almost-bare bodies, he looked bored, slouching and tapping away on his
BlackBerry. He got inspired to wave his arm in the air at one point,
revealing a monstrous gold ring on his right hand.
Thirty-four pelvic thrusts later, the Pussycat Dolls ended with their
most famous song, "Don't Cha," putting the official stamp of all things
sexy on the evening, but leaving those who don't wear lingerie to work
wondering, "So, what's the trend for fall?"
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