le chien fashion week el paseo

Dogs on the Runway!

Four-legged fashion hounds bring the woof-woof to Fashion Week El Paseo.

June Allan Corrigan Current Digital, Fashion & Style, Fashion Week El Paseo

le chien fashion week el paseo

The mix of fashion from Aneka Brown Designs with four-legged models was a hit March 20 at Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Desert.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAIGE ROBBERSTAD

Any doubts about what day two of Fashion Week El Paseo might offer were put to rest as soon as “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. made the speakers start pounding. It was followed by Baha Men’s indefatigable rallying call, “Who Let the Dogs Out,” and the night was off and running.

What’s not to like about Le Chien, the fashion show that weaves dogs into the equation? Many audience members brought their own dogs, and the whole shebang benefitted Palm Springs Animal Shelter and California Paws Rescue.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TIFFANY L. CLARK
Featured designer Aneka Brown led the crowd on a cultural trip that explored her African heritage through fashion. Her fantastical creations, made primarily with traditional African wax print fabric, capture the color and spirit of the Greater Palm Springs desert — the environment where she grew up and continues to live and work. “The desert is so much more than sand,” Brown says. “There’s the rich aubergines and vibrant yellows found in wildflowers, the varying shades of cacti, and so many hues people tend to overlook.”
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PHOTOGRAPH BY YASIN CHAUDHRY
The first model to step onto the runway — alongside a canine pal — wore a bright red two-piece crop top and center cinched miniskirt ensemble accentuated with printed fabric strips at the shoulder, an oft-seen hallmark of the collection. She was followed by a brilliant blue and cacti green printed short set featuring ruffles at the shoulder. The same electric print popped up in a skirt that presented as short in front but descended artfully to train length in back. The latter element was one seen time and again.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE DUCHANNES
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PHOTOGRAPH BY PAIGE ROBBERSTAD
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PHOTOGRAPH BY YASIN CHAUDHRY
Male models were greeted with exceptional enthusiasm. The vividly patterned shirt and shorts or long pant sets they showcased, as well as the pajama-style bottoms with matching robes worn open and slitted up the sides, were universally applauded. Many a model’s neck was festooned with recycled rubber necklaces from Aneka Brown Designs.
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Aneka Brown greets the crowd after showing her collection at Fashion Week El Paseo.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAIGE ROBBERSTAD

“If the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that people are more conscientious about their spending,” says Brown, noting that 95 percent of her collection is both reversible and unisex. There was much to admire during this kaleidoscopic presentation of styles — especially with the precious pups leading the way.

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