LOS ANGELES, Mar 23, 2006/ FW/ --- In his second season at Smashbox Studios, the promise that Anthony Franco showed with his Spring 2006 collection fizzled yesterday as he previewed 51 looks for Fall 2006 that although they were pretty and wearable did not have theme or direction in mind.

Franco, who in thanking his parents in his press notes for their unwavering support wrote ‘my Mom & Dad, who have been so out of touch with me that they have been calling my boyfriend to get updates because I’m so all over the place’ unwittingly described his collection.

Because, whatever Franco was doing, it did not translate very well in his Fall 2006 collection that looked like a hodgepodge of all the trends that were seen on the international runways.

Opening with a silver and black sequined cocktail dress with a black satin cincher built in, Franco followed it with men and women’s suits, floor length gowns, a knitted poncho, pencil thin leather trousers, pencil leather skirts, a mesh mini dress, and a turtleneck sweater dress with a built-in corset.

Without a theme and without direction, the beautiful dresses and gowns were all lost in translation and the graceful curving of the female form went unnoticed, as each silhouette became islands on their own.

To be fair, there are a lot of pieces that showed promise and will surely sell when they hit store shelves. Perhaps, that is what went wrong. Like all emerging designers, Franco needs to sell to keep his business alive. In trying to fulfill that need, he showed too many pieces.

As has been mentioned before, good editing is a must for a successful runway show. A designer only has 15 minutes to say his or her message. If he or she failed to get the point across within that span of time, it can be disastrous.

Those who gave Franco a standing ovation when the designer took his bow might say that this review is too harsh. Yet, his thematic Spring 2006 collection is proof that the Los Angeles-based designer is capable of so much more.

In addition, if Los Angeles wants to be taken seriously by both journalists and retail buyers, then the designers should be ready to be judged in accordance to the standards set on the international catwalks, meaning New York, Milan, Paris and London.

The show’s saving grace, the introduction of an ipod holster that was shown with menswear; it’s innovative and imaginative. And, hopefully, next season, the imagination and innovation that made him create the ipod holster will be seen once more.

Anthony Franco

Anthony Franco

Anthony Franco

Anthony Franco