It’s Not Always the Runway at Fashion Week That’s the Most Interesting

Southern California is responsible for some of the world’s biggest fashion trends; the summer hippy boho chic look, the beachy cool vibe, so when I had the opportunity to attend LA and Orange County Fashion Week on behalf of Medium, I was excited to see what fashion trends we’d all be emulating this year.

Los Angeles has always been known as an eclectic place with a culturally diverse population so it’s no wonder LA Fashion Week presented some amazing styles. But I’m not talking about the runways- we’ll get to that shortly. The most interesting part of LA Fashion Week for me was seeing what the attendees were wearing. At one event that had “Formal Attire Required,” I witnessed a gentleman in baby pink and blue matching sweater and sweatpants, while a woman donned an outfit that wouldn’t have been out of place in Julia Robert’s early scenes in Pretty Woman. But that’s why I love LA; the carefree “we’ll do it our way” attitude that this city has. It’s why so many people flock here to get a taste of it.

On the runways, I was surprised to see a much more avant-garde feel to the fashions on display. The clothing felt much more New York than in previous years. A style that I saw in several shows was that of the bejeweled facemask. While they looked great on the runway, sorry LA, I just don’t imagine people will be adopting this style for Autumn/Winter ’19.

Orange County Fashion Week, as you can imagine, was a more conservative affair with an array of modern attire and elegant formal wear. Orange County has become synonymous with luxury and elegance and this was present not only in the fashion displayed but the venues for the shows ranging from 5* hotels to luxury yachts. An OC designer to look out for is Rowan Burke. At only 16, she presented her Dark Rabbit collection to a crowd that including Orange County’s elite and the Real Housewives of Orange County. At 16, I was covered in acne still trying to figure my life out so I have huge admiration for Rowan to be able to present her collection.

Overall, LA and OC Fashion week delivered fashion for every style. They provided a picture of why so many trends have made their way out of the streets of Southern California and into cities around the world so when your Mom comes home wearing a diamond-encrusted facemask, know that you have Los Angeles to thank for that!