Sue Wong — Fashion Week LA, March 2006
A Los Angeles fashion week record from March 2006 — the Sue Wong collection shown at Fashion Week LA in March 2006, kept as the historical record.
Sue Wong showed on March 21, 2006, and the review below — by Debra Stevenson — captures a designer at the height of her Los Angeles powers: "poised for global expansion," the empresario of nocturnal glamour presenting a collection organized as a tour of the world's fashion capitals. Wong was one of LA's most commercially established names, an eveningwear designer whose beaded dresses sold through the country's major department stores, and her shows were set pieces rather than simple presentations.
The review is kept complete, from the opening flag dance to the backstage glimpse of the designer personally finishing every look before it walked — the detail the reviewer clearly considered the real story of the show.
Illustrative image created for this guide — an artistic impression, not photographs from this show.
A Collection in Five Cities
The show's structure was a montage. It opened with a traditional Chinese flag dance sequence and a beaded cheongsam, the designer's homage to Old Shanghai; moved to Berlin in a sultry, brooding palette of plums and wines; to New York in beaded shifts inspired by the 1930s scene; to London by way of rakish top hats; and to Paris in vampy cocktail dresses from the Latin Quarter. The finale left geography behind: a dramatic bridal gown with massive feathered wings, custom-made by Mother Plucker Feather Co. City-by-city organization gave a beaded-eveningwear collection a narrative a buyer could retell on the selling floor.
The Designer at the Curtain
The review's second half watches Sue Wong herself, seen through a crack in the runway set as she put final touches to each ensemble — arranging elaborate hair pieces, smoothing spaghetti straps, tirelessly perfecting every look before presentation. The verdict ties the work ethic to the business: a woman who works this hard deserves her formidable empire and the loyalty of her retail coterie, named as Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's. Wong's name recurs in this section's later seasons, on both the March 2007 and October 2007 Smashbox designer lists.
The Review
Poised for global expansion, Sue Wong, the empresario of nocturnal glamour, showed a collection inspired by the world's leading fashion capitals. Her glitzy montage began with a traditional Chinese flag dance sequence, followed by the designer's beaded cheongsam — her homage to Old Shanghai. Then came a sultry, brooding palette of plums and wines from Berlin, beaded shifts inspired by New York's 1930s scene, rakish top hats from London and vampy cocktail dresses from the Parisian Latin Quarter.
For the grand finale, Sue Wong sent out a dramatic bridal gown complete with massive feathered wings, custom-made by her friends at Mother Plucker Feather Co.
Through a small crack in the runway, I watched from my seat as Sue put final touches to each ensemble, arranging elaborate hair pieces, smoothing spaghetti straps and tirelessly perfecting every look before presentation. A woman who works this hard deserves her formidable empire and the loyalty of her retail coterie, including Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. — Design Studio review by Debra Stevenson.
Common Questions
What was the theme of Sue Wong's March 2006 collection?
The world's leading fashion capitals: Old Shanghai (a beaded cheongsam), Berlin (plums and wines), 1930s New York (beaded shifts), London (rakish top hats) and the Parisian Latin Quarter (cocktail dresses), closing with a feather-winged bridal gown.
Who made the finale's feathered wings?
The massive feathered wings on the bridal finale were custom-made by Mother Plucker Feather Co.
Which stores carried Sue Wong, according to the review?
The review names her retail coterie as Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's.