VEGAS – May, 2004

In Los Angeles, Fashion Week is as much about the celebrity circus that rallies around the runways as it is about the clothes

By Anna David

New York may rule the runway but Los Angeles – definitely the redheaded stepchild of the fashion scene – is slowly gaining. The recent shows, which featured the Fall and Winter lines of everyone from the established (Richard Tyler) to the local heroes (Eduardo Lucero) and hipster casual kings and queens (Joe’s Jeans and Frankie B, respectively), with the much buzzed-about celebrity favorites (Custo Barcelona) and young upstarts (Jenni Kayne) mixed in for good measure. And though Manhattan may be able to claim P. Diddy and Anna Wintour in front-row seats, do they get enough Hollywood progeny to spawn a colony or Antonio Sabato, Jr. being tossed into a clothing rack during a backstage brawl?

HEATHERETTE

Nobody does spectacle like Heatherette. The brainchild of former Ice Capades dancer and 80s club fixture Richie Rich (immortalized by Seth Green in last year’s Party Monster) and rodeo rider Traver Rains, Heatherette has attracted such eclectic fans as Britney Spears, photographer David LaChapelle, Lil’ Kim and Steven Tyler. The media circus that has consistently followed the line must have at least partially inspired the designers to take the big-top concept a step further – and literally. A dozen circus performers – from twin stilt walkers to contortionists, jugglers and clowns – entertained the 1700 guests seated on bleachers, while at least 250 gatecrashers clamored for entrance outside the warehouse (which was down the street from Smashbox, where most of the other shows took place). Nothing epitomized the fabulous trashiness of it all more than the mixture of dirt and glitter on the ground.

Anthony Kiedes (with socialite Michelle Dupont), Amber Tamblyn, Natasha Henstridge, Leelee Sobieski and Sabato (with L.A. restaurateur Robert Kass) were just some of the celebrities who gathered to watch Jenny McCarthy, Jillian Barberie and Rod Stewart offspring Kimberly sashay down the runway for the launch of Heatherette’s Gillette-sponsored couture line to tunes compiled by Boy George (who was slated as the show’s MC before scheduling difficulties kept him away). Male model Tony Ward added some much-needed testosterone to the show.

Ironically perhaps, it was once the show ended that the circus truly began. Apparently, Sabato went backstage post-show and politely waited while photographers snapped photos of Kiedes posing with the models. According to sources who happened to be in the vicinity at the time, an unidentified man who seemed vaguely acquainted with Sabato began heckling him before – yes, it’s true – slapping himself in the face and growling. Sabato supposedly calmly removed his jacket and said that though he didn’t want to hurt the self-slapping, growling heckler, he would. The guy then began to walk away and, as Sabato was putting his jacket back on, he jumped on top of the Latin heartthrob and started swinging. “It was a real sucker-punch,” says an observer. At the time, the show’s security – which actually happened to be members of the Culver City Police Department – were busy trying to keep the many well wishers from flooding the backstage area, but they came running once they heard the clothing racks crashing.

Though Sabato’s attacker got away without an arrest, someone called on his behalf the next day to inquire after the man’s Cartier watch, which he had supposedly lost in the scuffle. “I consider that karma,” sniffed someone who was behind the scenes of the show, noting that she’s not sure the man was even wearing a watch in the first place. “Richie Rich is all about fun and fashion and looking sexy and having a good time,” adds the company rep. This time, he may have gotten more than even he bargained for.

CUSTO BARCELONA

Former T-shirt designer Custo Dalmau and his brother David already have a fairly dedicated celebrity following – Julia Roberts, Charlize Theron and Antonio Banderas are long-time fans and girl-of-the-moment Nicole Richie has been running around Custo-clad 24-7 of late – but Amy Smart, Djimon Hounsou, Taryn Manning (in a turquoise Custo Barcelona sweatshirt with bubbles of women’s faces on it), Kimberly Elise, Rod Stewart spawn Kimberly, and socialite/yoga teacher Anna Getty turned out for his midweek show.

Top New York models Alek Wek and Amanda Moore shared the runway with Yoanna House, the winner of Top Model, for the high-energy show. Accustomed primarily to local girls for L.A. Fashion Week, the crowd erupted in a roar when Wek sauntered down the Smashbox runway. “Custo took his inspiration from Studio 54 and Bond girls,” says Serene Cicora, the publicist for the event. “The models all had this amazing, Faye Dunaway ’80s bed-head.” A Custo Barcelona store will be opening at the Vegas Forum by the end of the year.