A road trip you don't want to miss

I missed the road trip. No, my friends didn’t leave to Mexico without me and they didn’t forget me on their way to Vegas. I missed the Heatherette’s road trip as they unveiled their funky Spring 2008 collection on Monday, October 15. I was originally supposed to go and cover it for an L.A. zine, but decided not to because I’d rather workout than go (I found out the day of the show and was feeling lazy in the sense I didn’t want to dress up and go).

I made a huge mistake. Not only was it the most creative show of L.A. Fashion Week, but I missed out on the whole circus-meets-fashion vibe of the show. Riche Rich and Traver Rains (the brains behind Heatherette, but who should really be rock stars) titled their funky show “Route 66: California or Bust.” It was a whimsical collection of itty bitty, butt-hugging, Speedo-style swim trunks for men, dresses smothered with lace, sequins and fringe and swingy skirts in bold graphic prints. To sum up the collection, I’d say it was oozing with sexy.

Actually, that’s how Rich and Rains described it. “We like sexy,” they said in one interview. Well, guess what R&R, I do show. And just to make sure everybody knew how sexy the collection was, porn star Jenna Jameson opened the show wearing a retro-styled two-piece swimsuit with a beaded empire waist. Now that’s sexy.

Usually it’s the women who wear the skimpy swimwear, but R&R mixed it up a bit by making the men wear Speedo-like swimwear. Buff, Ken-like and tattooed models smeared with black paint strutted their stuff in tiny trunks graced with sequins, appliqués and beaded fringe. Men’s shirts also got the smothered with sequin and fringes.

For the ladies, dresses were silky and swingy in green graphic prints and purple swirls. Gowns were slim-fitting with corsets and super-embellished. A pink zip-front gown was decorated with feathers while another sported an American flag. Then there were the playful dresses with the empire-waist lace gown with the never ending layers of tulle and a hoop-skirt dress that featured satin beach balls.

I’ve now learned my lesson: Never miss a Heatherette show!