Jen Kao – Daring Devore Combinations

In a chilly, hazy hangar of a space, against a backdrop of gauzy white curtains, Stevie Nicks, and Joni Mitchell, a collection materialized wherein classic singer/songwriter leitmotifs like denim, plaid and devore were sent through Ms. Kao’s cutting tunnel. What came out the other side, once ingeniously stitched back together, was redolent of the past but defiantly new. “This season is about versatility. The clothes ask a girl - beg a girl to want to put it together for herself.” So said Los Angeles-based designer Jen Kao of her billowy, skin baring, hippie/jet setter Spring 2014 collection.