Jovovich-Hawk
Design Duo Make a Model Pair
“Feel good, look great, feel bad, look great” is the motto of designers Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk, whose joint fashion label, Jovovich-Hawk, has been “looking great” since its launch in 2003.
The designer duo’s Fall 2007 collection came alive at the luxurious Bryant Park Hotel. Staged in a series of theatrical scenes, the models transformed into characters in a series of intricately-designed sets.
As spectators strolled from scene to scene, Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk mingled among them.
“Our collection was very much inspired by [Kenneth Anger’s short film] Puce Moment,” Jovovich said. “With the different scenes, we wanted to recreate the feeling of a short film. There’s the sitting room, the bedroom and the boudoir,” she added, gesturing towards the respective sets, in which softly-lit models grace antique chairs in sequined, silky gowns.
In the scenes, “everything goes with the look,” Jovovich said, referring not only to the beaded bags that adorned woven partition walls, but also the gold gilt mirrors and old-fashioned bathtubs which decorated the boudoir.
Inspired by the glamorous scenes of Puce Moment, Jovovich said that “[the collection] definitely [has] that old Hollywood feeling.”
The collection taps into the daring temperament of the noted outside artist Anger.
“It’s very moody, very much about who we are. It’s about crazy artists getting dressed up,” she said, laughing.
Jovovich and Hawk’s infectious charm and genuine respect for each other shines through, not just in their demeanor, but also in their designs. “The creative process is very organic,” Hawk said. She also let on that they “always have a stack of ideas. Editing is the hard thing.”
“The important thing is that you keep learning and that you are free about it,” Hawk said, smiling. Because that’s what makes everyone look, and feel, great.