BritWeek Fashion Designer of the Year Julien Macdonald has many runway presentations under his belt, but for his first time showcasing his glam ensembles in Los Angeles, his experience tells him that some drama cannot be avoided.
“During a fashion show, shoes always break and fall off — it’s always a technical nightmare backstage with shoes,” Macdonald shared with Footwear News at Genlux and BritWeek’s fashion show on Thursday at Unici Casa in Culver City, Calif. “Shoes are one of the things that always give me a nightmare because they never fit, you have to squeeze models in, but I’m used to it.”
The BritWeek program benefited Artists for Amnesty and celebrated British contributions to the arts.
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Macdonald, whose sexy threads are favored by Madonna, Heidi Klum and Kim Kardashian, described the collection as “a taste of London in L.A.”
“A lot of people have seen my clothes adorned by incredible celebrities, but to see the clothes close up and see the work — the craftsmanship — is something special,” he explained.
And the level of craftsmanship that goes into his clothes is executed from head to toe.
“Every time I do a runway show, I always design the shoes,” Macdonald said. “Shoes are a complicated thing to design, but I enjoy it. It’s a combination of a lot of technical things. When you get the end result and they look good, it’s a wonderful thing.”
Brooke Burke, a fan of the designer’s dresses, lent her support at the event, donning a white tuxedo shirt, black trousers and Tom Ford heels.
Burke told FN that she’s a “denim girl” at heart.
“It never goes out of style, especially with a great pair of stilettos,” she said. But the model and TV personality admitted to making some shoe style missteps in the past.
“I remember first coming onto the scene in L.A. from Arizona in a pair of white cowboy boots,” she recalled, adding that her footwear got her attention for the wrong reasons. “I was like, ‘What do you mean you can’t wear white cowboy boots?’ I was just young.”
Burke said that she has other retro items that she hopes will be a hit the second time around: “I save my classic pieces like my old bandanas, and they’re back in style right now and buckles, they’re coming back now — but not white cowboy boots.”
