Mila Hermonovski from Project Runway Season 7 and the first season of Project Runway-All Stars premiered a new collection during Fall/Winter 2012 LA Fashion Week. Mila has an impressive background of assisting Calvin Klein as a design assistant. This show was Mila’s chance to prove herself to the Los Angeles market again. Did she prove herself in the end? Well, yes and no.

“Our inspiration was Loulou de la Falaise. She was a fashion icon, and whatever she threw on, she looked like the best-dressed person in the room. She did everything from bohemian to French to military. She could pull anything off with her confidence and her natural style.” —St. John Designer George Sharp

LK Paris has come up with a new collection called “Couture to Wear.” I found the name to be catchy and appealing. After all, couture is associated with high maintenance, expensive dry cleaning bills, and careful handling. Upon close inspection, the garments in this collection are impeccably sewn and surprisingly durable. The price points are nowhere near couture. In fact, they would definitely be comparable to the “special occasion” wear at a Bloomingdale’s or any other high-end luxury department store.

During Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Agenda Magazine made its way backstage before the show. I was able to interview the key hair and makeup people, plus I got a bonus when top model Cecily Lopez spoke with me candidly about her career.

Octavio Carlin showcased an elegant yet simplistic collection during Style Fashion Week LA at Vibiana. He presented a collection that showed a variation on cocktail dresses consisting of jersey, slinky, hip hugging skirts with horizontal striped tops . . . a play on the athletic influenced trend for spring.

Furne One’s Spring 2012 collection made its way un-chaperoned to Los Angeles at Vibiana during Style Fashion Week LA. That’s right. The designer was home in Dubai while his collection received mixed reviews here. The collection left some raving and others ranting; and some of those rants turned into raised voices literally on the media riser.

Rear projected cinematic, interchanging backgrounds of nature and the outdoors created the scene for the Gypsy 05 2012 collection at Vibiana during Style Fashion Week LA. The fashion show opened with eclectic music and ritualistic choreography in the form of modern dance: our dancer’s face had white war paint, and she wore a loose fitting tunic. She put on a convincing performance and set the bohemian stage for what was to become a very enjoyable runway experience.

Coming back from a hiatus, Gen Art is better than ever with their Fresh New Faces competition. From the attention to details backstage, with dressing, styling, and presenting the models and clothes on the runway to really putting on an exciting and well produced series of runway shows, Gen Art did it well at Vibiana during Style Fashion Week LA. Avatar star Zoe Saldana opened the show and the talented young designers showcased their new designs.

The show finally started with designer Ross Higgins. He was the first out of the gate. He trotted as if on the drug ecstasy, and that, folks, set the precedent for what followed—a parade of models, each more frightful than his or her predecessor. Caligula had nothing on this design team!

Project Ethos—the reputable production company that consistently creates unique experiences for all participants and attendees—did not disappoint that evening. Choosing the House of Blues venue to do what it does best, “showcasing fashion, music, and art all under one roof, on one night,” Project Ethos put on a fun-filled night that merged a live concert, fashion show, and art gallery for one big event.