Presenting Three Designer Installations with Rotating Vignettes: Kit Pistol, Mandula, and Unhee

GenArt’s Access to Emerging Art rocked downtown Park Plaza on March 17, announcing L.A. Fashion Week with “New Garde 2006 . ” The three designers featured—Kit Pistol, Mandula, and Unhee—represented a spectacular eclectic range of fashion philosophies.

Kit Pistol: Kit Pistol, aka Christina Scarbo, is an FIT fashion design graduate. Her mod installation explored pieces inspired from her prior work as a lingerie technician in New Orleans burlesque. Canary yellow and theme music of Annie reinforced the intended playful tone of the fall collection, set in a school ground setting complete with slide and swing set. Navy plaids and tartans, exposed bras, panties, and knee highs were featured throughout, some with spiffy pairings of patterns and an overall preppy quality.

Mandula: Hungarian-born fashion designer Hajnalka Mandula is well known in Canada, her current home base. The Pacific Northwest atmosphere and palette of the region resonated in the collection: many of the pieces were constructed from torn fabrics and crochet that are hand-knitted and dyed with natural substances, such as tea, coffee, pumpkin seed oil, and berries.

Installations began with models entering the stage from what can only be described as an orb-pod-twig construction, illuminated from within. The outdoorsy cocoon concept completed the garments.   Layered legwarmers, tights, scarves, and knits, all in the neutral palette, made me think autumn, but with the moderate beach climate of California’s coastal living, one can wear them year round.

Unhee: Suzy Yun launched Unhee as an experimental endeavor in 2005, working from her small studio. A year later she has navigated through the theatrical concept of fashion and art fusion. In what was commonly described by GenArt onlookers as “The Pirate Room,” her installation usurped the concept of a night of fashion. A strong costuming flair describes the heavy-wrap flounces, which accentuated and complemented the feminine bodice. Wrap-style pieces and shimmery puffed sleeves in a rich palette of jewel tones and delicate yet regal fabrics of satin and velvet set a romantic-at-sea vibe against the billowy movements of a mock pirate ship. Hair, makeup, set design, and overall ambience in that room made it a show to remember.

Details at www.genart.org.

Coverage by Pamela Heath