JASMIN SHOKRIAN’S LA WOMAN

I always enjoy checking back in with designer’s a year or so after my first interview to see their progression and the changes that have taken place since we last spoke. Jasmin Shokrian has been one of my favorite LA designers since I first moved to Los Angeles 8 years ago.  When I began styling, I was introduced to her collection by a friend and I was immediately a big fan of her intellectual design aesthetic.  Jasmin is the kind of designer I like; she does things her own way and she has an extreme amount of passion for art and architecture that essentially drive her aesthetic.

My personal style is complex. I am influenced by many genres and I have always connected to architectural design elements in clothing.  From Martin Margiela and  Ann Demeulemeester to Yohji Yamamoto- Jasmin Shokrian sits among some of my favorites.  What differentiates her from the others is her Los Angeles perspective that delivers a softness and a sense of ease and wearability that some of the above-mentioned have yet to master.

Her Spring 2014 collection channels her Los Angeles roots more so than ever before and when I first saw the collection on style.com, I knew there was something different happening in regard to her usual approach. For the spring season Jasmin communicated her thoughts on the growing worldwide fascination of Los Angeles with a collection that challenges “fake vs. real” and what people perceive Los Angeles fashion to truly be. Although many across the world perceive the Los Angeles girl to only don terrycloth tracksuits, ripped denim, flowy dresses and floppy hats; Jasmin’s Los Angeles girl is chic, smart and effortless in a way that does not include looking like she left the house in her pajamas.

The collection is showcased in two separate palettes with a black and white story coordinated with a soft palette of pale pink, powder blue and off white.  The racks of clothes hang perfectly in her studio as if they were an original part of the interior design of the space. Not that her collections normally seem out of place, but there is something about this one that holds the culmination of all of her collections thus far that result in perfect harmony in the studio.

The elements in this season’s collection take on a much more casual approach than we are used to with her designs yet they continue to channel the same references she has always utilized. This time, however, she was inspired by Los Angeles architecture, design and landscaping-all of the many elements of art that this grand city embodies. The silhouettes are clean and simplified, and the styling has a sense of ease with a nod to Jasmin’s other favorite city, Paris.

To help tell her story, she included verbiage on her graphic tshirts with a play on the LA fascination that is coming so strong from Paris. “Je pars habiter à Los Angeles“(French for “I’m going to live in Los Angeles”) reads the graphic T-shirt that leads the Spring lookbook. Her second tee is a sarcastic version of a tourist tshirt that has been around for decades reading: “I went to LA and all I got was this lousy tshirt“.  For those of us that know Jasmin, her dry wit is one of the reasons we love her and to see it in the collection brought a sense of humor and realness that I really appreciated.

Jasmin also incorporated a light wash chambray into some of her core silhouettes creating a more casual version of her basic garments. The chambray pieces were some of my favorites in the collection as they held my architectural tastes but put them in a easy format for styling.

Another favorite look is this one below.  Seriously, I need to have this. (Those are Jasmin’s feet poking out below which really made me want to wear this outfit with a skinny pant and ballet flats underneath the skirt.)

Other favorite pieces include:

 

Jasmin has always incorporated geometric shapes onto and into her garments. The dresses above she has done in the past in various fabrications; this season’s version is in cotton with a metallic stretch and are a great representation of what Jasmin’s LA woman wants. I want the one below!

Jasmin has been creative directing videos for her collection for many years (before everyone else got on board the train), and they are all such a great representation of her inspiration realized in true form. This season, “The Chase” made it’s debut on style.com communicating beautifully and simply all the elements that inspired her vision of the JS woman in Los Angeles.

Jasmin Shokrian Spring 2014, "The Chase"

I always enjoy my time with Jasmin, whether running into her at a party or seeing her in the studio, she has something very unique that I am drawn to and I always appreciate her candor, honesty and intelligence when talking about the fashion industry and her role in it.  She is someone that has remained true to her spirit and the vision she has for her brand yet she is always learning and developing and pushing herself outside of the confines that the industry creates. She is somebody that challenges the status quo, not someone that becomes a part of it. And for those of you that don’t already know this, she is a major player in this Los Angeles fashion scene that so many people are currently obsessed with.

When toying with the idea of “fake vs. real”, Jasmin is the real deal.

Follow her on instagram and facebook and make sure to check out her current collection on her website.