SKINGRAFT
The second show Wednesday evening at Style Fashion Week was Skingraft designed by Jonny Cota. Held at the beautiful and dramatically lit Vibiana Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, the setting proved an ideal backdrop for Skingraft’s amazing collection consisting solely of looks in greys, blacks, and browns. Showing both menswear and womenswear on their Fall 2012 runway, Skingraft is perfect for the chic downtown customer who values casual clothing with an edge. In a way, it feels as if Skingraft has captured the elusive mix of New York’s downtown edginess and LA’s more relaxed vibe. Their clothing is absolutely ideal for the urbanite on either coast who wants to seamlessly transition from active daywear into chic nightlife wear, with the exception perhaps of two gorgeous floorlength evening gowns at the end of the collection. Beginning the show with a series of monotone grey looks, red-lipped models walked the runway in grey leggings, chic low boots, grey hoodies, and belted vests. Each look sent down the runway was a case study in the perfect way to stylishly layer clothing, as the show gradually progressed from grey to brown to black looks. One of the many positives about these clothes is the mixing and matching versatility inherent in the collection. I could easily imagine pairing a pair of the brown pants with one of the black leather jackets or one of the grey vests with a pair of the black leather leggings. Personal highlights (since I feel it’s wrong to simply say I’m in love with the entire collection even though it’s true!) were a killer brown leather, cropped bomber jacket paired with a leather beanie hat and a gorgeous, fitted black leather jacket with dramatic, puffed shoulders. After the show, I had a chance to speak with Cota, who says the collection was inspired by “hip hop fusion with Buddhist monks.” Expanding on this concept, the card laid on our seats at the show explains that “the Fall/Winter 2012 collection is inspired by hooded storytellers, from ancient Buddhist monks to modern day hip hop lyricists. Oversized and sheltering, the hooded silhouettes in the collection act as protective armor while navigating through urban metal jungles.” Hoods were indeed a continuing element throughout the collection as well as mesh headpieces which shielded the models’ foreheads and eyes. Clearly illustrating this concept of protection, every model sent down the runway wore either a hood, a headpiece, or a hat. . skingraftdesigns.com JUNE 2012 - the Los Angeles Fashion
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