CMC Show — California Market Center, 1 November 2003

The California Market Center show took place at the historic Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, 1 November 2003, closing the October 2003 LA Fashion Week reports. The review carried below records a presentation for buyers beginning market week appointments: families on the catwalk, trend segments organized into mod, 1980s flashback, ethereal, vintage and streetwear, and a well-attended cocktail party beforehand. It is kept complete as the record of the closing show.

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

A Primer for Buyers

The CMC show differs from the week's designer shows in purpose: it was an easy primer for buyers commencing market week appointments, organized neatly into thematic trend segments. Families ruled the presentation — groupings of OC wannabes, punk sisters, carpool moms with their little ones and hip couples taking to the catwalk to strut their seasonal stuff.

Promptness as a Record

The review's most telling detail may be its smallest: unlike last season, the show began promptly, even after allowing ample time for guests to mingle, meet CMC staff and enjoy the ample buffet. A trade show that starts on time after a cocktail party is, for its audience, a show worth returning to — and this record closes the week on exactly that note.

The Week's Commercial Close

Designer shows make reputations; market shows make orders. The CMC presentation, held as buyers commenced their market week appointments, is the October 2003 set's commercial bookend — trends sorted into segments a buyer could act on, in a theatre rather than a tent. Keeping it with the designer reports preserves the whole circuit a fashion week actually runs on, from runway applause to written orders.

Photos