MERLE'S CLOSET
| FASHION COMMENTARY
| GOINGS ON
| THE REAL DEAL
| NOCTURNES
Come into Merle’s Closet for an insider’s view of the inner world of L.A. style.
I’ve been to the Daily L.A. Fashion Awards since their inception, eight years ago, held at The Sunset Tower – Christian Louboutin was honored, Keanu Reeves presented to his stylist Jeanne Yang. All the LA fashion crowd was there on a Sunday. And while it was a real eye candy fest, no one took the particular awards – to stylists, hair stylists, makeup pro’s, Model of the Year – seriously, you get the picture.
But since 2019, when Lady Gaga showed up to the show’s new home, the Beverly Hills Hotel, to present to her longtime wig maker/hair stylist Frederic Aspiras – making the audience tear up about his heartfelt dedication to his craft, there’s been a shift. The awards are taken much more seriously – when…(continued below)
LOS ANGELELS IN ITS FINEST
…The Hollywood Reporter’s co-Editor in Chief Maer Roshan is named editor of the year, you know it’s for real – the crowd’s blown up to include hundreds more of the well and over-the-top dressed. It runs a big gamut: evening gowns, shorts, mini’s, ball gowns, cocktail attire, a sea of sequins – hair and makeup from utterly polished/professional – what do you expect from makeup artists? – to fish lips and fillers. Half the crowd’s now working pro’s – stylists for music and red carpet, celebrity glam teams, media folk, execs – half is the selfie squad: influencers galore, with better pouts and more followers than a CW star. However, when the iconic Bob Mackie stepped up to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award,
both crowds: serious – and seriously superficial – lept to their well shod feet for a rousing Standing O. There was celebrity glam presence too: presenters included Jennifer Garner (to hair stylist Adir Abergel), Sarah Michelle Geller (to makeup artist Rachel Gibson), Lisa Rinna (to model daughter Amelia Gray, an expert pouter like her mouthy mom) – and Hollywood’s mega mogul of the streaming age, Ryan Murphy – who presented to Maer Roshan. There was also L.A.’s absolutely best dressed woman in any crowd: the splendiferous B. Akerlund, in yet another incred confection. Or is it concoxtion? Nobody puts it together like B. Though in this crowd, they certainly try.