Petro Zillia — LA Fashion Week March 2005

Petro Zillia showed during LA Fashion Week in March 2005, and designer Nony Tochtermann transformed her runway into a 1970s-inspired purple disco. The review carried below, submitted by Debra Stevenson with contributions by Lynne Simmons, records campy dancers in gold hot pants choreographed by Paula Abdul, an enormous disco ball, and an outrageous purple knit gown with pom-pom hem detailing to end the night — kept complete as the record of the show.

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

The Purple Disco

Few LA shows of the period leaned into theatre as fully as this one: recording artists Jewla and RA.W added to the excitement while the disco ball sprinkled glittering stardust over fun party dresses and sexy graphic chiffon blouses. Under the spectacle sat a real collection — the return of the high-waisted wide-legged trouser, more demure argyle wool suits, sweet cardigan sweaters, hearts-a-plenty and solid gold throughout.

Petro Zillia in This Archive

Petro Zillia appears three times in this archive: the rainbow show of October 2003, this purple disco of March 2005, and the following October 2004 season in between. Across the three records the label's signature holds — color, whimsy and knits — while the staging grows bolder each season, which is exactly the progression these reviews preserve.

Staging as Identity

The purple disco was not decoration pasted onto a fashion show; it was the label's identity performed at runway scale. A designer who choreographs dancers with a pop star friend, books recording artists and ends the night in a pom-pom-hemmed purple knit gown is telling buyers exactly what the brand is. This record keeps the staging and the clothes together, because in Petro Zillia's case they were the same statement.

Photos