Grey Ant — LA Fashion Week, March 2005

Lucky revelers at Grey Ant's Fall 2005 show were entertained by front-row lookalikes of Michael Jackson, Cher, Divine and Boy George — infinitely more entertaining than seat-fillers at so many other shows. Between the theatrical eclecticism of Grant Krajecki's production, the clothes were quirky yet salable.

The review below was written for the March 2005 season by Lynn Simmons for the Apparel Search Design Studio. Grey Ant's show is the season's proof that a Los Angeles runway could be a happening and a selling event at the same time.

Illustrative image created for this guide — an artistic impression, not photographs from this show.

Quirky, Yet Salable

The real stars of the show, in the review's judgment, were the clothes: jumpsuits, quilted flannel plaid jackets with contrast piping, and hooded mini dresses. That trio is a fair summary of the label's appeal — workwear and lumberjack references cut into novelty pieces a boutique could actually move, presented inside a production that treated the front row as part of the cast.

Theatre as Strategy

Grey Ant's front-row lookalikes were not a distraction from the selling; they were the selling. In a week competing for editorial attention, a show people talked about at dinner was worth more than a show people merely attended — and the review, filed by the week's own editorial team, talked about it. The Grey Ant page is the March 2005 record of fashion-as-entertainment done with commercial intent.