Harveys — LA Fashion Week, March 2005
A Los Angeles fashion week record from March 2005 — the Harveys show at LA Fashion Week in March 2005, kept as the historical record.
Playing up favorite suburban fantasies — Wife-with-Apron, Naughty Schoolgirl, Mysterious Doorman, Sexy Secretary — the Harveys runway show was alive with flirty, girly separates. Orange County entrepreneurs Melanie and Dana Harvey took their solo catwalk in March 2005, after successful group shows with the California Market Center, and debuted an after-five collection aptly named Little Black Dress.
The review below was written by Debra Stevenson for the Apparel Search Design Studio, with photographs by Carlos Alberto, during Mercedes-Benz Los Angeles Fashion Week, March 2005. It closes with a verdict the label kept earning: a brand to watch.
Illustrative image created for this guide — an artistic impression, not photographs from this show.
Designed with a Consumer's Eye
Eschewing standard merchandising rules, the Harveys brand was clearly designed with a consumer's lustful eye: playful outfits crafted from cashmere wrap tops and boybriefs rather than rigid category business. Whimsy and irony flowered in the product names — Husband Beater silkscreened tanks, the Preplum Jacket, the Secretary Skirt. Tailoring and fabrics had visibly upgraded this season, with cable-knit cashmere sweaters and silk velvet suitings in star roles.
A Full House for the Solo Catwalk
A full house of notables — Apollonia, Maria Conchita Alonso, Henry Winkler and many Gwen Stefani-esque friends of the Harveys team — watched heavily tattooed designer Melanie take her bows. The solo catwalk is the graduation every group-show label works toward, and the review records Harveys taking it with an identity fully formed: suburban fantasy, after-five product, and humor as a house code.
The Harveys approach — fantasy themes, named products, a consumer's eye — anticipated the personality-driven branding that social media later made standard. In March 2005 it still had to be done from a runway, in front of a full house, and the review's closing instruction to bookmark the page for more coverage reads like a promise the section kept.
The Review
Playing up favorite suburban fantasies of Wife-with-Apron, Naughty Schoolgirl, Mysterious Doorman and Sexy Secretary, the Harveys runway show was alive with flirty, girly separates that should put Agent Provocateur on notice. Orange County entrepreneurs Melanie and Dana Harvey took their solo catwalk this season after successful group shows with the California Market Center and debuted an after-five collection, aptly named little black dress .
Eschewing standard merchandising rules and stuffy notions about retail, the Harveys brand is clearly designed with a consumer's lustful eye, crafting playful outfits from
cashmere wrap tops and boybriefs, instead of sticking rigidly to specific category business. Whimsy and irony flowered everywhere with product names like HUSBAND BEATER (slikscreened tanks), PREPLUM JACKET (preppie-sweet jackets) and SECRETARY SKIRT (oops I just dropped my pencil).
Tailoring and fabrics have been visibly upgraded this season, with cableknit cashmere sweaters and silk velvet suitings playing a star role.
No wonder a fullhouse of notables including Appolonia, Maria Conchita Alonso, Henry Winkler and many Gwen Stefani-eque friends of the Harveys team were on hand as heavily-tattooed designer Melanie took her bows at the show.
As We've said before this is a brand to watch. Bookmark these pages for more Harveys coverage from the Apparel Search editorial team. Check the website for awesome photography at https://shopharveys.com/ . Review by Apparel Search Design Studio Review written by Debra Stevenson & Photographs by Carlos Alberto .
Photos
Common Questions
Who designs Harveys?
Orange County entrepreneurs Melanie and Dana Harvey, who took their solo catwalk in March 2005 after successful group shows with the California Market Center.
What was Harveys' March 2005 collection?
An after-five collection named Little Black Dress: flirty separates, cashmere wrap tops, cable-knit cashmere sweaters and silk velvet suitings, with playful product names like Husband Beater and Secretary Skirt.
Who reviewed and photographed the Harveys show?
The review was written by Debra Stevenson and the photographs were by Carlos Alberto, for the Apparel Search Design Studio.