Cracking the dress code

L.A. Times Archives

Dec. 9, 2007 12 AM PT

‘Fashion forward’

Event: Skin & Bones gala at MOCA, Nov. 18, 2006

Sounds like: A “Project Runway” challenge involving inertia

Meant to: Emphasize the intersection of fashion and architecture

Resulted in: More skin than bones, off-the-shoulder dresses

Standout: The anonymous woman who accessorized her blue ball gown with a denim pant leg re-purposed into an arm-length fingerless glove emblazoned with the words “DIOR NOT WAR”

‘Malibu whites’

Event: Donald Sterling’s fete for sponsors and supporters of the L.A. Clippers, Sept. 9, 2007

Sounds like: A carjacking ring headed by Mel Gibson

Meant to: Create a relaxed but upscale country-club feel

Resulted in: Golf shirts and linen pants for men, resort-wear dresses for women

Standout: Elgin Baylor in white linen trousers, a white silk camp shirt and a pair of white bucks

‘Poolside chic’

Event: YSL-hosted pool party benefit at the Beverly Hills Hotel, 2006

Sounds like: St. Tropez without the jet lag

What it meant: Upscale warm-weather wear -- and YSL

Resulted in: A hodgepodge of the good, the bad and the unfortunate: dark, heavy suits, tuxedos, denim, floral prints, pops of aquamarine and turquoise, and lots and lots and lots of YSL

Standouts: Ashton and Demi, he in a relaxed-looking gray suit and she in a YSL shift dress

‘All black’

Event: A MOCA gala honoring donor Dallas Price-Van Breda, 2005

Sounds like: A convention of Johnny Cash impersonators

What it meant: Head-to-toe black wardrobe, a specific request of the honoree

Resulted in: Black, shades of gray with the occasional idiot in a white dress shirt

Standout: The honoree, who showed up in -- surprise! -- a head-to-toe silver ensemble

‘Urban safari’

Event: American Museum of Natural History Junior Council’s 2003 winter dance

Sounds like: A manhunt sponsored by the Urban Cougar League

What it meant: A celebration of the animal kingdom

Resulted in: Leopard prints, fur, feathered headdresses and a cockatoo or two