LA-based designer Louis Verdad has always been highly favored in the media. He’s known for his feminine, figure flattering designs. His fashions have graced the covers of several fashion magazines and have been the focus of fashion editorials both in South America and the United States. He has designed exclusively for countless celebrities, and his work is highly praised by top fashion stylists (Arianne Phillips, et. al.) and editors (Anna Wintour, et. al.).
In his Spring 2010 collection, I got a sense that Louis Verdad was trying something different this time. His collection consisted of only three colors: crème, navy, and gold. It was a definite nautical theme with a throwback to the 80s. His use of billowing sleeves against form-fitted A-line gowns was different creating a unique contrast. I’m not sure how well it worked for me. A lot of designers this season followed the one-sleeve trend, and so did Louis Verdad in a few of his
pieces. What was consistent with some of his past collections were the following: train-enhanced evening gowns, figure-giving fabrics (jersey) and figure-hugging cuts, and the presence of nautical.
Louis Verdad always had an old Hollywood feel to his past collections. That was one of the things I probably liked most about his designs. By his own admission, he is forever inspired by the opulence of fashionable, societal women of his homeland. And usually this is his constant running theme, with both enchanting and very obvious intentions on his runway. But sadly, this particular season, Verdad missed his mark. There was an obvious well-intended theme with a mostly all African-American lineup walking the catwalk. But unfortunately, the fashion road to 
hell is often paved with good intentions. The garments were ill-fitted with only a few exceptions: the gold metallic camisole, gold metallic capris, the crème coat dress with the wide lapels, and a few other pieces that fit the models well, but were not all necessarily figure-flattering. What was glaringly obvious? Very few pieces actually flattered the wearer. And I certainly could have done without the 80s riding pants/calf-hugging culottes.
When I interviewed Louis, I asked him about his inspiration for this collection. This was his response: “I wanted things to have color in it. And the way people are following Michelle Obama and the way they want to iconize her, it caught my eye. She has style without even trying, and she inspires me. I wanted to relate this collection to all the black women and to empower them.”
Well, it looks like Louis Verdad created his Spring 2010 collection without even trying either. What appears to be a last minute, thrown together collection with ill-
fitting garments—this may have been Verdad’s worst attempt at a collection. This was a classic case of the Emperor’s new clothes. Better luck next season, Louis Verdad!
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