The location: The Brick Building (8870 Washington Boulevard) in Culver City, where Valerj Pobega is showing her clothing alongside work by her artist husband Mattia Biaggi.
The skinny: In a season heavily dominated by 80s influences, it makes sense that Pobega's inspiration for her new collection was Axl Rose. Pobeja's color palette contains solely of tones of grey and black, but thanks to a tedious dyeing process (with up to seven different colors), the shades are rich and full of depth, with hints of burgundy in one floor-length, flowy dress, giving it an updated, elegant tie-dye effect. The materials are her usual silk variations, with the addition of distressed leather to express the rocker sensibility.
Celebs spotted: None, although shades of Guns 'n' Roses were everywhere. "I wanted to do something different this season, and produced a video rather than a runway show, in which the model plays Axl Rose as an alien who just got dropped off on planet earth—of course wearing my clothes," Valerj explains. The video was being projected against one of the walls of the venue while "Paradise City" delivered the soundtrack.
The Takeaway: Axl Rose isn't not necessarily the first person you think of when it comes to being fashionable, but Pobega's focused collection captures the rock legend's spirit while keeping the essence of her signature look—feminine, tender yet expressive.
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