LOS ANGELES, Oct 22, 2005/ FW/ --- Saving the best for last at Smashbox Studios, St. John closed the season with delightfully tailored mannish clothing that emphasized the waist.

Featuring top catwalkers that included Carmen Kass, St. John presented 36 exits to a full-capacity crowd at the Main Tent, with Domenico De Sole sitting front row.

‘I’m just here to enjoy the show,’ Mr. De Sole, former CEO of Gucci and who currently sits at the board of Procter & Gamble, told FW during a pre-show interview. Attending the show with his wife and daughter, Mr. De Sole said, ‘I’m here because a friend invited me. I have no business plans whatsoever,’ he added with a genuine smile.

With the crowd consisting mostly of business people, clients and press (no fashion groupies, thank goodness!), the first ever St. John runway show during a fashion week opened with Carmen Kass wearing an ivory and white Belize knit jacket with satin trim layered under with a white poplin shirt.

Paired with an ivory and white Belize knit skirt and accessorized with a 3-inch belt and a hat, the look was delightfully tailored and architectural, the silhouette that St. John devotees for the pass 40 years have loved.

Past paced and high-energy, the mostly daywear collection proposed candy stripe knit cardigan over slim pin tuck pants, pencil skirts, soft crepe ponchos and caftans as cover for swimsuits.

Trench coats and safari jackets were recommended for the cool spring days while shorts and sleeveless dresses would have to take center stage during the hot summer months.

The finale, a black knit corseted evening dress worn by Carmen Kass was a bombshell and simply takes your breath away.

Body hugging, strapless and reaching just at the ankle, the encrusted Swarovski crystals glittered against the klieg lights, the St. John design team just outdid themselves with this number.

Though St. John is known more for its daywear, don’t be surprised if you see this one on the red carpet.

While it was rumored before the show that Giselle Bundchen and Angelina Jolie would be at the show, both of there were no-shows. The audience did not seem to mind though. They were so enthralled with the collection, that even if Giselle and Angelina showed up, they would have been quickly forgotten once the catwalk show started.