Paula Abdul checks out the Thrive show.
On Thursday, March 22, 2007, Los Angeles based fashion design house Thrive showed their Fall/Winter 2007 collection during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios to audience members including Paula Abdul and other celebrity guests. Their latest collection, entitled "Flowers in the Garden of Consciousness," was a wearable collection that combined rocker chic with neutral toned pieces, including dresses and skirts (for both men and women). Thrive's clothes were once described as having a "postmodern architectural flair," and this collection seemed to be in keeping with this abstract definition. Pieces were certainly diaphenous and layered, perhaps alluding to the deconstruction of postmodernism.
For Fall 2007, Thrive combined modernism and romanticism with the minimalism of functional and non-ornate clothing. Fabrications include silk chiffon, viscose/cotton/metallic satin, wool-cashmere gabardine, French lace, Italian sweater knits, and Japanese woolens. The colors for the season are taupe, blush, brown, midnight blue, with a foundation in shades of grey and black. And, just in case black and taupe strike you as conservative colors, look no further than the riding crops that dangled alluringly from the wrist of each model at the show-- perhaps meant to be a subtle reminder that in fact, these were no little black dresses we were dealing with.
Never a company to be pigeon-holed in terms of style, Thrive is a free-thinking brand which fosters ideas and innovations. After making their mark in the technology industry, founders Rob Meadows and Ali Shahriyari followed their passion for art and culture to create the Los Angeles based fashion brand. So far, they've worked with up and coming FIDM star Jacqueline Lavaun as well as several others.
By drawing on their diverse experiences and influences as well as investing in the talents of newcomers, Meadows and Shahriyari are establishing a company which has a non-traditional approach to fashion. In Summer 2007 Thrive will announce new creative additions to the design team. The company will continue to produce clothing with a sexy yet intellectual sensibility and act as an incubator for young talent to prosper and 'THRIVE'. We'll look forward to seeing whether the next collection follows the "flowers in the garden of consciousness" theme, or (in true postmodern fashion), departs from previous contexts and conventions altogether.
Lori Culwell writes about fashion, current events, and the celebrity scene for several magazines. You can find more of her writing on her blog, Funny Strange.
