Passion Revealed at Vibiana Cathedral - Part 1 - Pre-party
October 23, 2009
Sorry for the delay in writing this wrap-up of last Friday's Passion Revealed event. I think I've been fighting something because I've just been exhausted after my day job which totally isn't like me. Feeling under the weather makes me cranky which is why I'm glad I'm feeling better.
Since I have a lot to catch up decided to break this into a couple parts to at least get the ball rolling.
Real quickly, let me set the stage.
When I heard Passion Revealed was to be held at the Vibiana Cathedral in Downtown LA for LA Fashion Week, I knew I wanted to attend even before knowing about the fashion shows to be held there. I had written about this beautiful location years ago in a press release for the Los Angeles Convention Bureau and have been wanting to visit ever since after learning about the architecture.
My LA Fashion Week friend who had invited me to cover Passion Revealed had also covered all the venues where LA Fashion Week was to take place which made it come alive even more.
Here's LA Fashion Week.com's blurb on the Vibiana to let you know what I'm talking about and why I decided to attend not knowing anything about the event itself.
"This
glorious and fabled —de-commissioned Roman Catholic Cathedral— must be
one of the most dramatic venues hosting Los Angeles Fashion Week
events. This
deeply historic venue offers all of the grandeur and opulence that was
intended for the era in which it was built. With an original capacity
of 1000, this Archdiocese cathedral held 1/10th of the
You can read the rest of the article on all LA Fashion Week event venues here.
Once the decision to attend was made, I then read the invite and learned the following from Pnoy Apparel's site:
"Passion…Revealed!, an artistic celebration with individuals whose names have blazed across the realm of the arts, spotlighting pure talent and ingenuity. It will be a night of pure decadence, unveiling an opulent plethora of designer craftsmanship. With a sea of diverse textures and designs stimulating the senses accompanied by every shade of colour soothing visual hunger, and musical geniuses weaving a blanket of hypnotic ambience, Passion…Revealed will be a fusion between the ferociousness of a New York show and the glitz and glam of Hollywood entertainment.
THE FASHION EVENT (and partial list of participating Fashion Designers)
A fashion show exhibiting stunning creations from internationally-renowned and up-and-coming designers, whose inspirations are rooted in mainstream America and infused with influences from around the globe.
Zar Javier, Pnoy Apparel (http://www.pnoyapparel.com).
Happy and Kristine Fernandez, Happy Kristine Couture (http://www.happykristine.com).
Alexis Monsanto, Monsanto Designs (http://monsantodesigns.com).
Furne One, Amato Haute Couture (http://www.amatohautecouture.com).
THE MUSICAL EVENT
It will be a night of the most enjoyable music from seasoned musicians thriving in Hollywood bound together by their love of music.
Various DJs. Electrifying spinning of master DJs that have rocked and shaken famous clubs and lounges in California.
Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra (FASO). Comprising of Filipino-American musicians, they play symphony music with excerpts from Broadway and well-loved Filipino songs.
Following the fashion and music show, everyone will be encouraged to engage the dance floor, network and party. You hear, you feel, you see the perfect recipe for a magnificent night!
THE VISUAL EVENT (and partial list of participating Artists)
Jaja Dario’s The Art of The Spheres (http://www.artofthespheres.com)
Bren Bataclan’s Smile Boston Project (http://www.bataclan.com)
Gray Malin Photography (http://www.graymalin.com)
THE VENUE, VIBIANA (http://www.VibianaLA.com)
Nothing less than the best can house this spectacular event and its honored guests.
Vibiana, formerly known as the St. Vibiana Cathedral, is a magnificent monument centrally located in Downtown LA’s Main street. With its soaring gilded ceilings, deeply burnished dark wood floors, and celestial windows it is simply dazzling.
Net proceeds will benefit HOPE4Children, Inc. (Helping Others through Education http://www.hope-for-children.org/) and FASGI (Filipino American Service Group, Inc.)"
Doesn't this sound like an amazing event? Well, it turns out this blurb didn't even mention one of the favorite designers of the night, Philip Rodriguez, who blew everyone away with his sophisticated, detailed, stunning evening wear with Spanish influences. Or some of the other major highlights!
Check out Philip's website to see what I mean about his work here.
So, needless to say, was happy to be attending, but really didn't know what to expect since you never really know how good something is until you experience it.
And this was good. I was surprised at how nice the garden pre-party was which was offering a seemingly never-ending buffet and drinks which really set a nice tone for the entire evening. I was so impressed I called my new stylist friend, La Dauphine, to come join me since I figured the fashion shows should be just as quality if this pre-party was any indication.
Here's some pictures to set the stage.
This is what greeted me upon arrival. I have better pictures of the exterior coming and will upload them when they arrive.
Lots of pretty accessories and jewelry were on display throughout the garden area.
I always see people I know when I attend these events and that night was no exception. Bumped into my friend David who writes for the New York Times, who was there with his business partner,
Micky Flores, my F/B friend (whose picture I messed up by accident - sorry Micky!) and my photographer friend, David Christopher Lee who was there with his friend, Anne Marie.
I know David from my days attending Oscar Gifting Suites and red carpet events with celebrity clients in the past. He's an extremely gifted photographer of celebrities, advertising, editorial and lifestyle clients (including swimwear if any of my beach friends are reading this.)
I highly recommend you check out his website here. Very impressive work.
I actually always meet the most interesting people when I'm out at events and that night was no exception.
My on-site photographer, Stefhan Gordon, had recognized former President of CBS, Mike Lesner, as he was sitting waiting for the event to begin and was talking to him when I approached with a question.
Stefhan introduced me and we hit it off so well I invited myself to sit next to him in the front row as no seats were assigned which he didn't mind.
He's a very interesting guy and after leaving CBS traveled to Hong Kong for business where he impulsively bought a 92 foot yacht even though he'd never sailed before.Long Beach Magazine wrote up a nice article on his yacht story which you can read here. If you're into sailing you will LOVE this story!:)
Mike's so down-to-earth and funny you'd never realize he was such a powerful guy who sits on the Board of Pepperdine and is President of Animax, except that he told me since I'm such a good interviewer.:)
We shared a good chuckle over his title of "Most Eligible Bachelor" in the article because he's so humble and loves to laugh. Very nice guy.
Pretty soon all the photogs were in place and the organizers began to call people in. The chairs filled up quickly to standing room only. I was very grateful Mike had saved me and my stylist friend, La Dauphine, seats after seeing the crowd.
I took one last look at the architecture, grabbed some shots and came in too.
These don't do the surroundings justice, but I liked the effect outside the cathedral which is why I'm posting it any way.
Before the actual fashion shows began we were entertainmed by a very young dance troupe. And when I say young, I mean some possibly as young as 11 years old - look at the pix to see what I mean.
This would have been perhaps more uncomfortable except for the fact the kids were having such a great time you had to be proud they were strutting their stuff on the big stage.
Who knows? Maybe some will go on to dance professionally - and they can say they got their start here.:)
I have to run, but will go into the fashion shows next. It was definitely a wonderful evening with some designers standing out more than others.
More to be revealed! In the meantime, here's some video coverage which you will enjoy.
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