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Sue Wong Ignites L.A. Fashion Week

Doing the first big show of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Los Angeles might be stressful for some, but not to Sue Wong. The savvy grand dame of the Angeleno fashion world dove in with both feet, not only designing all of her company's new Spring 2007 line, but also doing the art direction, styling, and music for the show dubbed "New Romantics" as well.

The result was a kaleidoscope of 76 daytime and evening dresses, focusing as Wong explained afterward, "more on my daytime collection than ever before." Broken into sections, the show began with "Edwardian Romance" looks, white-on-white cotton, embroidery, and lace creations, pretty dresses perfect for a hot summer day or nighttime party.

Next were the "Young Innocents," slipdresses long and short in pretty colors like celadon, peach, and pale blush, with extremely flattering silhouettes, mostly form-fitting, spaghetti-strap sweetheart tops and straight or A-line skirts. What sets Sue Wong's designs apart, however, is the detailing. Her embroidery - eyelet and floral in this grouping - are always breathtaking and beautiful.

Her kicky and cute "Country Cousins" section took old-fashioned motifs like tablecloth and dishtowel embroidery and laid them onto baby doll dresses, sundresses, and halter dresses. A standout is the red linen halter with beige floral embroidery, a stop-traffic look, as well as the bright yellow embroidered mini with a crochet halter and skirt ruffles.

Next it was off to Mexico, with the "Fiesta" section of the show, as Wong followed her travel muse to a new location. "I've always liked indigenous cultures, so it was Mexico this time. As opposed to Indonesia or China or India or someplace. I just move around the world, getting inspirations as I go," Wong said. "Those dresses have a Frida Kahlo feel, I think."

She used brilliant colors in orange or turquoise, offering a folkloric feel with a sophisticated edge, and again using embroidery to create beautiful accents. Perhaps the best look of the show was a black halter-necked swing dress embroidered with "vintage yarn" white stitching, a look that women of any age can embrace.

As the show continued, the designer roamed from Sixties-inspired multicolored mod patterns á la Pucci, again with her signature brilliant color palette, then on to more delicate colors and prints, then to animal designs. The silhouettes remained the same, short or long, spaghetti-strap, fitted bodices with either empire or dropped waists; and perhaps it wasn't really necessary to see all the variations of materials on the runway. As one wag commented, "Now they're all starting to look the same!"

Certainly the finish to the show was something different, as Sue Wong sent an ivory silk bridal gown down the runway accessorized with an actual chandelier on the model's head. In a show where all the hair was elaborately constructed, that one took the prize for wacky.

But nutty hair aside, Sue Wong's Spring 2007 collection was a winning combination of fresh, youthful ideas with a riot of beautiful colors, patterns, and silhouettes; and an excellent beginning to L.A. Fashion Week.

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