Sue Wong Kicks Off Style Fashion Week L.A.

Photograph by Linda Immediato

The veteran designer is a bright spot during an L.A. Fashion Week which has been marching on...and on...

I've been covering Sue Wong's fashion shows for nearly a decade, so I knew to expect a certain amount of drama and pageantry last night at her spring/summer '14 show, which kicked off Style Fashion Week L.A. at The Reef. A couple of hundred people waited in line to get into the big tent to catch the show, which started nearly two hours late. But judging by the applause throughout, I'd say most people thought it was worth the wait. Wong's spring/summer collection was epic. The invite called the event a 'MEGA Runway Show' and it was mega. The show, a breathless series of mini-collections within a collection organized by color-pink, black, gold, silver, green, blue, pink, white, taupe-lasted over an hour. There were more than a dozen riffs for each shade and an endless stream of gowns, including long ones, short ones, pleated ones, fringed ones, lace ones, and embroidered ones. The models moved like dancers down the runway, twirling their trains and swirling scarves through the air. Adding to the theatricality were elaborate headdresses (by Haute Headwear, Fiori Couture, Kicka Custom Design, and Lisa Marinucci Design) and jewelery (by Vilaiwan Fine Jewelry) so substantial, it looked as if it might have been lifted from a Pharaoh's tomb. Former Red Hot Chili Pepper Dave Navarro was the evening's MC and he presented Wong with a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Style Fashion Week. Wong, a dramatic figure herself, graciously took her spin down the runway, accepting the award, a ginormous bouquet of flowers, and the accompanying standing ovation from the crowd.

Tags: L.A. Fashion Week, Style Fashion Week L.A., Sue Wong, The Reef