Bringing Sexy Back : The Birth of William Rast
The Associated Press Published: October 18, 2006 LOS ANGELES Pop star Justin Timberlake is not your typical fashion designer. So the runway debut of his William Rast clothing line was not a typical fashion show.
Rather than show the collection at the official Los Angeles Fashion Week site, Culver City's Smashbox Studios, Timberlake took over one of Hollywood's hottest nightspots on Tuesday night.
A runway and scores of bleacher seats were added to a section of Social Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard. The Boulevard3 club next door was used for the exclusive after-party, including a performance by Timberlake, the 25-year old Grammy-winner whose second solo CD, "FutureSex/LoveSounds," was released in September.
The impressive guest list included Wilmer Valderrama, Eve and Timberlake's girlfriend, Cameron Diaz, who gave interviews and posed for pictures before taking their front-row seats for the fashion show. Other attendees included Paris and Nicky Hilton, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Patrick Dempsey, aka Dr. McDreamy from TV's "Grey's Anatomy."
When the show got started, David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" blared as models with their hair styled into pompadours and makeshift mohawks previewed the spring 2007 collection dubbed "Street Sexy." Timberlake started William Rast less than a year ago with his childhood friend Trace Ayala. They named the brand after their grandfathers.
On the runway, there were skinny jeans for men and women, topped with tanks or muscle shirts. There were also country-inspired checkered shirts for men decorated with ruffles or leather details. Some were shown with ascots.
Women's styles included cropped cardigans, shrunken sweaterdresses and puffy-sleeved blouses with bows at the neck.
Later, dressier attire had a soundtrack of Nine Inch Nails and N.E.R.D. (Timberlake is said to have spent months picking the show's playlist.) Men wore plaid blazers with attached leather vests over slim-fitting slacks. Accessories were key as each outfit was adorned with oversized belt buckles or chunky pendants. One was a skull, another looked like a grenade.
Party dresses for women were funky and flirty. One ice-blue shift was dangerously low cut, with strands of pearls serving as safety straps. Another featured a shredded scoop neck bedazzled with tiny rhinestones. A polka-dotted, 1950s-style dress had a full skirt, puffy sleeves and a black ribbon belt. Then, suddenly, the fashion show became a dance-off. Six women — stylishly street smart in jeans, suspenders, short skirts and torn tank tops — turned the runway into a disco, gyrating to a racy Prince tune.
Then the guys took their turn, and they stole the show. To Jay-Z's "99 Problems," four men in jeans, T-shirts and plaid sweater vests demonstrated why breakdancing is making a comeback. They were pop-locking and head-spinning like it was 1984. They somersaulted, flipped and struck gravity-defying poses, proving Timberlake's new duds are disco-ready.
AP
