The San Francisco designer's collection punctuates Fashion Week with color and sophistication.
BY ERIN WEINGER

Being at Colleen Quen's runway show Saturday night the marquee event of Fashion Week El Paseo make one feel like they were some place other than in the desert. The designer's masterful, exotic eveningwear transported the audience to a catwalk in New York, or even Paris, where the materials are lush, the tailoring impeccable, and the designs eye-popping in an artful, organic way.

It's no wonder: Quen learned from the best, studying French couture under Simone Sethna, a contemporary of Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain. And since opening her own couture clothing company in San Francisco 10 years ago, Quen has cultivated a following among that city's vibrant social set with her sculptural, nature-inspired creations.

I'm very into pop art, Quen said of the floral themes that thread themselves throughout her collections. The designer mentions Georgia O'Keeffe as an influence, which could be seen in the orange-, pink-, and green-hued blossoms sent down last night's catwalk.

But Quen's of-the-earth designs, while striking, are anything but dainty. They're strong, she said, unapologetically, while taking back-stage photos with Coachella Valley Girl Scouts who volunteered throughout Fashion Week El Paseo.

A white gown with thin, hand-folded and sewn flowers was the evening's standout piece, earning the sprite, 47-year-old designer a round of mid-show applause.

Quen's art-inspired florals were also quite apparent in a strapless white column gown that featured simple, cylindrical buds scattered throughout in the style of a Marimekko print.

The garden party continued with a more delicate floral design of a simple, thin strap ballerina silhouette, the full skirt of which hit just above the ankles for a decidedly 1950s feel. The same shape made its way down the catwalk on more than one occasion once in a statement-making, traffic-cone orange silk and again in a sophisticated butterfly print.

The ballerina is a muse that Quen is used to. In December, her costumes appeared in Alonzo King's LINES Ballet production of Scheherazade, a work that was commissioned by the Monaco Dance Forum.

After last evening's show, which was so packed that observers stood in the back by garbage cans to catch whatever glimpse they could, it's a safe bet that Quen will gain a few more commissions from the desert, too.

Read more and see photos at Colleen Quen Puts El Paseo on the Fashion World's Map.

Fashion Week El Paseo Day 2 Designer Inspiration Like the desert's own personal Project Runway challenge, night number two of Fashion Week El Paseo took a decidedly do-it-yourself twist. Only instead of aspiring fashion designers competing for the affections of supermodel Heidi Klum, this group was comprised of 23 of the desert's leading interior designers tempting their fate in front of a panel including ex-catwalkers Beverly Johnson and Cheryl Tiegs.
Fashion Event Article Posted April 1, 2010

El Paseo Retailers Fashion Week Runway Looking Hot It takes a lot of chutzpah to pull off a runway show featuring 16 retail stores ranging from children's wear to jewelry and everything in between. But that's exactly what Palm Springs Life Fashion Director Susan Stein did last night at Runway Bar El Paseo, the official kickoff to Fashion Week El Paseo.
Fashion Event Article Posted April 1, 2010

Ethnic Flair Marks
Islands
Runway Show at Fashion Week El Paseo Truth be told, of anything listed on Fashion Week El Paseo's weeklong lineup, we were most excited for the Islands of the World runway presentation, which took place last night under the big white fashion tent in Palm Desert. Why? Because everywhere you look, from popular fashion blogs such as Jak and Jil to the pages of Elle to the streets of Los Angeles, ethnic tribal dressing is in full effect.
Fashion Event Article Posted April 1, 2010

Fashion Week El Paseo FIDM Debut 2010 I already have orders from some of the models, said budding knitwear designer and recent FIDM grad Julia Nish. The California native's collection of knits was the standout showing of Fashion Week El Paseo's FIDM Debut 2010, which featured collections by nine of the school's third-year design students.
Fashion Event Article Posted April 1, 2010

Hip Beachwear Men's Night Wins the Crowd Oh, this guy is hot, said an attendee of last night's Jamie Paul Holahan show at Fashion Week El Paseo. She was of course referring to the models, particularly the dudes, who stole the show away from the clothes.
Fashion Event Article Posted April 1, 2010

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