RackedLA.com- David Galan's Hot Arm Candy at Code C

Tuesday, November 24, 2009, by Lisa Boosin

As single girls, we've always been told that we'd find love as soon as we stopped looking for it. And that advice turns out to be true—at least when it comes to handbags.

When we were visiting the Sustainable Sirens installation at Code C, we fell hard for this collection of purses from David Galan. They have all of the bells and whistles we like: touchable textures (pony hair or supple, buttery leather), unique shapes, architectural details, and shiny, bold hardware. They're sized just right, too. (Big enough to spaciously accommodate the essentials, but you can't fit a small human into one of these). David Galan's creations provide the same glamorous finish as a piece of jewelry; and they offer a just-so combination of girly and tough.

The bags range in price from low $200s for the smaller bags and wallets, to the high $700s for the bigger pieces. A real bargain for bags of this quality (especially since it's like getting a purse and jewelry, too).

About Racked LA
Racked LA is a blog about shopping, neighborhood stores and the retail scene of Los Angeles.

The Sustainable Sirens make Hollywood's greenest costumes

Making movies can be dirty business, as headlines like “Hollywood’s Monster-Sized Carbon Footprint” have pointed out. Now, a new campaign called The Sustainable Sirens is using the detritus of the entertainment industry as the raw materials for an eco-fashionable call to green up film, television, and theater.

Put together by Reel Green Media, an environmental consulting company for the entertainment industry, The Sustainable Sirens campaign’s designed around six costumes — each made by costume designer Kresta Lins with items normally discarded after production, and each with its own eco-theme like energy efficiency or e-waste.

So far, just one pilot dress has been made (illustrated photo above). Dubbed “Let Them Recycle!”, the costume features typical waste in the costume department — and has already been on display at Paramount Pictures!

According to Lauren Selman, founder of Reel Green Media, the remaining five dresses will be created by Earth Day 2010.The upcycled costumes will then serve as the centerpieces for a larger public service campaign, which will include informational posters featuring the costumes that crew members and others working in the industry can refer to, a traveling eco-educational exhibit of the costumes, and an online campaign with practical greening tips for those in the entertainment industry.

Angelenos can see the pilot dress in person at a sustainable fashion event tomorrow, Nov. 19 from 5 pm – 8 pm at fashion boutique Code C, 8641 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Everyone’s invited to enjoy a free glass of champagne while toasting The Sustainable Sirens campaign — and a trunk show for eco-fashion line Re-Collection, made entirely out of upcycled materials by designer PJ Faulstick.

Image courtesy of Reen Green Media

RackedWire: Get Good Clothes Karma at Code C

SUNSET PLAZA—Our friends at Code C are throwing a party for two events (on the same night!) that look and sound amazing: On Thursday, November 19th, from 5pm to 8pm, stop by for a holiday trunk show for the Re Collection brand and an installation for Sustainable Sirens. Re Collection takes unique vintage garments and reimagines them into fresh, modern shapes that are thoroughly wearable: staples like jeans, jackets and dresses that offer a lot of bang for your buck. The collection is a perfect pairing with the Sustainable Sirens, which is actually a public service campaign created to encourage the entertainment industry to clean up its collective act by recycling and becoming more waste-conscious. They've created unique, fabulous costumes from production department junk to raise awareness and publicize the cause. Cruise by to shop, nosh and get behind a worthy cause. 8641 Sunset Blvd. (310-652-0500) [Racked LA Blog]

ShopEatSleep.com

If you feel the need to spend some dough after work today, check out
Re Collection trunk show: Code C boutique on Sunset Plaza is hosting a trunk show with Re Collection, a clothing line that repurposes vintage garments into new pieces. There will also be an art installation from The Sustainable Sirens, a public service campaign committed to educating the entertainment industry through the design of unique costumes from recyclable items from film shoots. From 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m, shop for sustainable clothing while sipping on champagne. It’s so L.A.
Maya Meinert - shopeatsleep.com

Refinery.com

LA Sales: Heist, Ports 1961, Ooga Booga, Keep Company, Generic Surplus, and More...

By Lisa Dionisio


What: The Code C boutique is highlighting a special Sustainable Sirens campaign with a Re Collection holiday trunk show. Shop Re Collection's eco-friendly re-worked vintage pieces, get a first look at their new spring/summer '10 line, sip cocktails, and more.
When: Thursday, November 19, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Where: Code C, 8641 Sunset Boulevard, (between N. Sherbourne and Sunset Plaza drives); West Hollywood; 310-652-0200.

Reel Green Media presents The Sustainable Sirens at Code C

Join Us!  FREE Champagne Reception this Thursday, November 19th, 5-8pm to toast THE SUSTAINABLE SIRENS campaign.

The Sustainable Sirens is a unique public service campaign that directly addresses sustainability in various departments of film, television, and theater production by using a series of six expertly designed costumes made solely from items normally discarded after production. Each costume has its own eco-theme ranging from e-waste to composting to energy efficiency.

Each dress is the basis for an informational poster that will be printed for prop houses, production companies and on-set base camps to help crew members and production designers recognize the ways that they can reduce, reuse and recycle on set.

8641 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310) 652-0200   www.codecusa.com     sunset@codecusa.com

Event: Re-Collection exclusive at Code C

We are excited to bring you an event of "FASHION WITH A CONSCIENCE".
ReCollection has never had a problem being 'green'. This eco-friendly clothing line uses 100% recycled clothing, transforming vintage pieces into chic modern styles.
Come join us to experience a rare interplay of fashion exclusivity and conservation. We believe that no one should have to sacrifice being fashionable to do their part for the environment.
Reel Green Media is sponsoring this event presenting the Sustainable Siren project.

8641 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310) 652-0200  www.codecusa.com

Fashion News | Fashion Week News | ApparelNews.net

L.A. Fashion Week Spring 2010: Louver by Louis Verdad

October 20, 2009

        

Photos by Volker Corell

Classic Louis Verdad. That was the look the designer sent down the runway for his Louver by Louis Verdadcollection, shown on Oct. 13 at Downtown L.A. Fashion Week at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.

Verdad, who has been on hiatus, made his return to the runway with a classic and timely collection.
The designer said he was inspired by first lady Michelle Obama when creating the collection, which is made up of classically chic silhouettes and an all-American nautical flair. He explored the contrasts of black and white by using predominantly black models and a cream palette. “I’m really inspired by Michelle Obama—really, truthfully. I’ve been looking at her. I felt that it’s an amazing time for African-American women. I wanted to relate it to the hope that we all Americans have,” Verdad said.
The collection was also an exploration of his own black and white side. “I know that I can be rough and exuberant, but then I can also be sweet and dramatic but classic and timeless,” he said.
Silhouettes had a vintage flair with styles such as high-waisted pants, ruffled blouses and chic sheath dresses. There were plenty of sportswear, including pants suits, flirty skirts and jumpsuits, as well as dramatic red-carpet gowns. Verdad’s focus on classic elegance was also an effort to keep the collection economically feasible. He worked in a monochromatic palette in fabrics such as lightweight wool gabardine, silk crepe, silk charmeuse and striped silk chiffon and experimented with details such as pleating, lace and corset-like waist treatments. The look was accented with navy and a touch of gold including lame gloves and belts draped with chains. Shoulder treatments, drop-crotch pants and a sexy bodysuit modernized the look.—N. Jayne Seward

LA MAG.COM- The Chic Leak Blog

“If you want black pants, go to H&M and get them for $20,” Andrea Rossetto told me at the recent opening of his and his wife's new store Code C. The boutique is not aiming to be all things to all people. Instead, it wants to set itself apart by “staying with few brands, and letting the collection speak.” That means Code C offers most, if not all, of a designer’s collection. That’s a rare thing to find in the bits-and-pieces retail landscape of late. Mike & Chris, A.L.C, Louver by Louis Verdad, ReCollection, Nandini, and Koi Suwannagate are the labels making Code C an important new fashion destination--and a supporter of local talent. The store also stocks candles, fragrance, shoes, and handbags.

—Ray Mosci at 11/04/2009 02:50:59 PM 

Style Section LA : Code C

Code C Boutique to Open at Sunset Plaza – stocking Marchesa, Mike & Chris and Cynthia Vincent

Written by Catherine Chang on October 16, 2009

Photo: Marchesa gown, courtesy of Marchesa.
Code C, an upscale boutique opening next Friday at Sunset Plaza, may just become one of my go-to shopping spots.
The shop boasts an impressive lineup of labels — Cynthia Vincent, A.L.C., Mike & Chris, Marchesa and Koi Suwannagate are all stocked  – and will also host regular art installations.
Owners Andrea and Marzia Rossetto envisioned the two-level space as a place where designers collections could “come to life.” Hmm. Pragmatically speaking, that means each collection is displayed in its entirety — a rarity on the retail front.
And the art installations help create a boutique-meets-gallery vibe. Israeli artist Gal Harpaz, who works with Polaroid film to capture his world in “fragments,” will be the first exhibitor.
But, ultimately, the store’s high-lower mix of merch looks to be the main draw. How many boutiques exist where you can pick up a floaty Marchesa frock and super skinny Diesel denim? Might just be a winning concoction in this crap economy.

Style Section LA : Valerj Pobega

PRETTY TOUGH: Model-turned-designer Valerj Pobega, who's set to show her Spring 2010 collection at Gen Art's 'Fresh Faces in Fashion' showcase on Thursday. All photos courtesy of Valerj Pobega.

Drama Queen

Designer Valerj Pobega brings her high-end (and even higher-drama) collection to Gen Art's 'Fresh Faces in Fashion' show.

By Emili Vesilind

Published on October 28, 2009
Designer Valerj Pobega’s clothes are expensive – $800 to $5,000 per piece, to be exact. But when you see them up close, the budget-busting prices feel almost reasonable.
Hand-dyed and rife with uncommon details, every garment feels like a one-off; something Pobega whipped up for a friend’s glamorous birthday soiree set to take place on a yacht.
And there’s good reason for that. The L.A.-based designer crafts each garment in her collection by hand (and by herself) in her Culver City studio. Rendering each piece, in effect, singular.
“I’m a one-woman show for now,” said Pobega, a former fashion model who was raised on the Italian island of Sardinia and speaks with a thick, musical accent. “I’m either special or crazy! For now, it’s okay. It’s my passion. In the future, if I get bigger, I will produce, but it will still be handmade. Maybe I'll get a couple of seamstresses.”





GO WITH THE FLOW: Pieces from Pobega's Fall 2009 collection.
The 33-year-old designer, who launched her eponymous line for Spring 2008, will likely be garnering more attention – from shoppers and retailers -- after Thursday night, when she sends her Spring 2010 collection down the runway as part of Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion show at L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum.
Pobega, who usually skips the catwalk scene, said she’d been kicking around the idea of showing at Gen Art for years – but only now feels ready. “I think this is the perfect collection to show in this way,” she said. “The theme is my signature silhouette, which is 20s and 30s, but very twisted and dark, with hint of Japanese bondage.”
The designer considers the eveningwear offerings, which will be loaded with tops and dresses, “my strongest collection so far. I’m working 25 hours a day on it right now. I’m such a perfectionist.”
Pobega’s designs, which are sold at L.A. boutiques Church and Code C, always feel confident – but they require an equally self-assured wearer to pull them off, as there’s often a costume-lite feel to them. Tops with a single sleeve that ascends a good five inches off the shoulder, ombre-dyed flapper dresses and ballooning harem pants aren’t for the fashion-fearful. Pobega's theatrical aesthetics have also served her well in her longstanding side project: making Sixties-inspired getups for Inara George, the model-esque singer of L.A. indie band The Bird and the Bee.
“I love old movies, silent movies and crazy documentaries,” noted Pobega, when clicking off her design inspirations. “Like, a Russian movie with Japanese subtitles. I also have a passion for old music…and amazing old fabric.”
The designer moved to L.A. with her husband in 2004, after falling in love with the gritty city while on vacation. “I think L.A. is a great platform for emerging talent,” she said. “I think what’s happening here is kind of what was happening in New York in 80s and 90s. It’s really supportive of new designers and there’s a lot of talent coming out of L.A.”
evesilind@stylesectionla.com