One Night Only
Yes, we've been in a Canadian mood as of late. At L.A. Fashion Week we caught up with Odilon's Stacey Clark, a British Columbia native now living here whose love of horror flicks inspired a Jil Sander-meets-the apocalypse collection. On Thursday night, one of her compatriots is stopping by Zainab Sumu's chic Melrose boutique for the time-honored trunk show experience. We saw Jeremy Laing a few years ago in a W young designer profile, where he was pushed around by Abercrombie-esque models in white shorts in the accompanying photos. But who's laughing now? Laing, who trained at Alexander McQueen, has made his mark in his exquisitie draping prowess, one that somehow comes off as understated and dynamic at the same time. His fabric choices are always innnovative: think perforated suede, gauzy crinkle fabric and jacquard that resembles stucco.
We caught up with the freshly-30-year-old designer prior to the Zainab trunk show (if you want to attend, the RSVP e-mail is below; we're predicting you won't be sorry you did).
SSLA: Jeremy, welcome to L.A. We remember you from a shoot in W from two years ago where you were chased by all those beefy models in white briefs. Was that the best day of your life? Laing: It was a day I never anticipated, that's for sure. Very surreal. I spent a good part of my adolescence in the 90s collecting Bruce Weber's Versace catalogs, so it was a bit of a fantasy come true.
We're impressed by your spring collection — especially the unstructured blazers and your draping prowess. What kind of woman wears your designs? Women who don't need bows and ruffles to feel pretty. She can be found everywhere.
CANADIAN SPRING Looks from Jeremy Laing's s/s 2010 collection.
How did you get connected with Zainab (one of our favorite boutiques in town)? She found me somehow! We met her in Paris about a year ago during our market week there.
What pieces will you be showing at your trunk show? We've got a brand new delivery of Spring and Summer pieces, and are also previewing some Fall 2010 pieces that will be available at Zainab.
What fabrics were you drawn to for spring? The was a little bit of silk, mostly printed crepe, but most of the fabrics were blends of cotton and cupro. One of the prints was based on a photo of plywood, and the others were created with an architectural rendering software, incorporating textures of building materials, like drywall and concrete.
What’s the retail price range in the collection? For spring/summer 2010, the range is from $250 - $2500.
Like many young designers in New York, you dabbled in fur for fall. Why? I'm from Canada, and fur is part of our national heritage. It's the reason the country was settled and explored. My fall collection took its cues from the Canadian northwest coast, including Bill Reid-inspired Haida imagery, textures and colours derived from the redwood forest, and shapes based on indigenous garments like the Parka and Capote. Fur was a natural part of the story, and we used exclusively wild Canadian species, nothing ranched.
FADE TO BLACK Toronto-based designer Jeremy Laing.
Who are your inspirations in design? Prouve, Periand, Kawakubo, Vionnet, Loos.
Where are you staying while in town? The Avalon in Beverly Hills. I like mid-century motel style.
This is your first trip to L.A., right? Tell us what’s on your must-do list apart from your trunk show. The Getty, Gjelina, South Willard, vintage furniture shopping, new glasses from Venice Vision, the MOCA Thirty Year anniversary show.
What’s the biggest difference between Toronto and L.A. style (other than extreme temp diff)?
Not much, to be honest, except throw in some Canada Goose parkas.
Jeremy Laing Spring 2010 Trunk Show at Zainab, Thursday, April 22, 7 pm-10 pm. Zainab is located at 7021 Melrose Ave. To RSVP, e-mail assistant@trentpr.com.