On February 23rd, the W Hollywood hosted Raging Runways, a festival fashion wonderland where glamour, sophistication and glitter abound brought us a stunning exhibit of the hottest brands in festival wear. The hotel’s stunning rooftop space, with 360 degree views of Los Angeles, was replete with a runway that stretched across the rooftop pool, a DJ spinning nonstop beats and people dressed to shine. To anyone that plans on attending Coachella, EDC or any other festival, read on.
After putting the fashion into “fashionably late,” Raging Runways gave us a dazzling show. Starting over an hour late due to technical difficulties (it happens, but the audience was freezing on that rooftop), the show kicked off with an astonishing performance by two trapeze artists, and then the models adorned in glitter galore began to fill the runway.
Opening the show was Sparkl Fairy Couture, transforming ordinary into something extraordinary. Designer Gabi Iwalani designed her pieces to mirror her inner mind, body and soul. “I see in pastels [and am] dreaming in the clouds,” she said. She wants Sparkl Fairy Couture to remind everyone to love the life you live, dream your own reality and “Sparkl” with the confidence within.
Check out Sparkl Fairy Couture’s final walk down the runway:
Following Sparkl Fairy Couture, there were a number of equally dazzling designers’ looks. I Love Russian Roulette, a designer out of Tampa, Florida, displayed an eye-catching one-piece inspired by the Vatican, among other cutting-edge looks. I Love Russian Roulette‘s looks made heavy use of light-up umbrellas and fully bedazzled one-pieces. Here are a few of I Love Russian Roulette’s looks:
And, to think these looks are only for women would be wrong! The men stunned the crowd too.
Halftime included a set by up and coming artist, Rai, yet her performance was probably the least dazzling thing about the show. The audience was expecting some major pipes but was left with poor sound quality and incoherent song choices. However, her backup dancers killed it.
We were lucky enough to get to talk to one of the designers, Louise O’Mahony, of L.O.M Clothing, who was present for the show all the way from the UK! She was super sweet (we got stuck in an elevator with her trying to figure out how to get to the roof), and we then learned she had designed all of L.O.M’s clothing.
I caught up with her briefly after the show, and she said her line is inspired by travel and adventure. L.O.M creates luxury party and festival wear for the color-loving queens (and kings!) of the world. Louise strongly believes in wearing clothes that express your character and empower you. We loved her, BTW. Total girl boss and super funky.
After the show, the guests were encouraged to visit the vendors’ booths lining the circumference of the roof. All vendors were represented in the fashion show.
One vendor in particular, Lunautics, did almost all of the body glitter for the models in the show!
They were nice enough to glitter my face, too, and often do trunk shows and experiences at universities around Los Angeles. Their body gems and glitter are vegan and cruelty free, and their glue is super gentle. I have insanely sensitive skin, so I was super down with that. You can check them out on Instagram, and they’ll be at both EDC and Beyond this year helping festival-goers get glit.
The W Hollywood and Raging Runways brought us the hottest clothes (and glitter) for the upcoming festival season. Every designer advocated for being true to yourself and rocking what you love, so everyone’s sparkle and shine was topnotch. Our takeaway is that body glitter is in, so are umbrellas, and those platform shoes keep getting higher.
All of the brands have Instagram pages where you can shop their stuff. Check out I Love Russian Roulette, L.O.M, Mr. Sequins and Sparkl Fairy Couture. ~ Happy sparkling!