The Pre-Fall season is no longer easy to ignore. But Costume National designer Ennio Capasa made it even more notable this time around, partnering with artist Marina Abramovic for a live performance at this year's Art of Elysium gala in Los Angeles. Called Heaven, the happening took place in an airplane hangar parked at the Santa Monica airport. Guests were given Costume National pajamas upon arrival, then escorted to one of 100 beds, where they were fed TV dinners while watching Capasa's Pre-Fall runway show.
An original presentation, to be sure. The collection, on the other hand, was pretty standard. Capasa was inspired by the rock-and-roll feel of 1970s Los Angeles, as well as the idea of fallen angels, playing into Abramovic's vision of a "state of consciousness where light and dark meet." The light came in the form of a short-sleeved feather dress coat and a fluffy alpaca jacket trimmed in grommet-studded grosgrain, while the dark was best represented in a retro trench made of stiff, wine-colored suede. (There was plenty of black on hand, as well, from feathered skirts to cargo pants.) The strongest pieces included a fuzzy tan alpaca vest whose sleeves were capped off with a bit of fur and a wool, raw-edged coat dotted with oversize grommets—a decal used throughout the collection. Some of the clothes—like the skinny suits—felt a little too interchangeable with what's already on the market. Sure, it's on trend, but is it Costume National? When the answer was yes, the collection worked.
