Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall 2008: Elmer Ave 5600

LOS ANGELES, Mar 15, 2008 / FW/ — Is this as good as it gets? A week before the official kick of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, the Los Angeles Times ran a feature story, ‘Rebel formalwear gets in line’ about Elmer Ave 5600, a skate and band label that would be introducing a broader collection during the Los Angeles season.

On the appointed time, Elmer Avenue’s “A Night of Tragic Emotions Fashion Show Featuring Original Score Performed Live by The Devil’s Orchestra” began. Under the creative directorship of four men – Jonny Day, Collin Pulsipher, Ward Robinson and Sean Murphy sent out tight fitting suit jackets with the skull and crossbones as the most prominent feature. (Do I see Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean?)

The crowd loved it, especially the celebrities sitting front row, who will of course ‘get paid in kind’ by attending the show, i.e., they will be able to choose which outfit that was shown on the runway they will be given.

But, this fashionista begged to differ. Elmer Avenue has something, but that ‘something’ had been popularized and done better by John Richmond whose rock & roll, rebel formalwear and skull & crossbones had been around for over a decade.

To be fair, the collection is not a copy of John Richmond. After all, the quad creative directors actually took some lessons from Les Hommes, the Belgian design duo who also show in Milan.

With John Richmond and Les Hommes as the ‘seeming’ mentor of Elmer Avenue, it was a shoo-in for me to love this Los Angeles label. But, with the execution leaving a lot to be desired, I have to ask the question, is this as good as it gets?

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