LA Fashion Weekend FW13 Kickoff Party

Celebrating its ninth consecutive season The Gallery LA held its traditional LA Fashion Weekend kickoff party at Sunset Gower Studios. Not only was Mikey Koffman celebrating the start of another fashion season, she was also celebrating The Gallery LA’s success as a major player in L.A. Fashion Week. In fact, The L.A. Fashion Weekend showcase, which started in a 5,000 square space, now takes place in a 15,000 square foot sound stage.  

There were a number of reasons to celebrate tonight but the arrival of Richie Ramone made the party that much more spectacular. You know you’re cool when Richie Ramone shows up to your party. For those that don’t know, Richie was the drummer for the iconic punk band the Ramones. He was also the only drummer for the band who solely composed, wrote, and sang on select songs.

The event gave us an opportunity to meet the sponsors and talk to the designers featured in the luxury Design Suite. Speaking of luxury, Bling Designs by S had a sparkling display of custom iPhone covers, accessories, and leopard diamond crystal bracelets. The company was founded with the purpose of creating sexy and sophisticated bling that is classy, fashionable, and affordable.

Safir Designs creates the rhinestone studded bow-ties that have become Mikey’s signature accessory. (They can also be worn as a hair piece.) In addition to bow ties, designer Samantha Safir also creates custom costumes for ice skating/dance competitions and the like.   

Not only is Kimberly Caldwell a talented singer and actress, she also possess some great design skills as well. She recently launched a handbag line called Stage Presents, which features handmade leather and knit handbags and accessories. She’s very inventive with her technique - using recycled materials, such as a leather mini skirt, to make her creations. The detail and craftsmanship is impressive and the prices can’t be beat.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Kimberly’s mother, who is so proud of her daughter and her accomplishments. Caldwell refers to her mom as her best accessory and rightly so. I really enjoyed meeting Kimberly. She is incredibly sweet and down to earth and very passionate about her Stage Presents’ line. In 2011 she was crowned “Queen of Don’t H8” at Nashville Pride in honor of her work with the LBGT community, which makes me love her even more.

There was a great vibe going on and everyone at the party was having a great time. DJ Dominic Carter from AMP radio kept the grove going all night long. Planet Salon freshened up our looks. Little Black Dress Vodka and Monster Energy quenched our thirst and Stage Café provided yummy hors d’oeuvres.

For desert we indulged on Bubba Sweets delicious cupcakes: Espresso, Son of a Biscuit, and Strawberry Lemonade. Bubba Sweets was founded by Erieka Pimentel and her husband in 2011. The shop is located in Huntington Beach. It has a cool rockabilly vibe and features over 40 different varieties of cupcakes. They also make cake pops and custom cakes and are currently featured on Cupcake Wars (Food Network). Good luck Erieka!

Narrative and photos by Nikki Neil