LC Unveils Spring ’09 Line

Hundreds of people lined up outside Smashbox Studios in Culver City, California, last night hoping to snatch a seat at Lauren Conrad's spring '09 runway show. The line literally wrapped around the building and went on for blocks. It reminded me a little of a Black Friday morning except the folks in this crowd were clad in the latest designer duds! The check-in desk was rushed, PR gals were frantically screaming into their headsets, and the Los Angeles Fire Department made a special appearance to cut off the number of bodies allowed into the already cramped venue, meaning droves of people who were supposed to be at the show were turned away.

Backstage Lauren told me that her spring '09 collection is "very girly, pretty, [and] romantic ... with a bunch of headpieces. Almost every model has something on her head. We spent six hours in a room making big, floral headpieces because you see a lot of that in the 'Sex and the City' movie and 'Gossip Girl,' so it's a really fun trend and I wanted to have fun with this collection."

The 41 looks that came down the catwalk were contemporary, feminine, and very spring-like thanks to the line's color palette of lemon, dusty peach, pale blue, and earthy brown. Floor length jersey dresses, high-waisted shorts, floral printed mini-skirts with bits of tulle peeking out from underneath, chiffon polka-dotted tops, and guaze tanks may not be the greatest or most innovative designs, but they are outfits that I can totally see LC and her teen fanbase wearing. Lauren must've been watching "Gossip Girl" when she designed this collection as every model donned some sort of floral or beaded headband (a couple of them wore the same crystal Jennifer Behr headband Blair had on in "The Ex-Files" episode). The collection also contains a preppy dress named Blair and another called Abigail (Abigail Lorick is the real-life designer behind Eleanor Waldorf's line).

Cheering on the "The Hills" star from the front row were her parents and younger siblings, roomie and BFF Lo Bosworth, ex-flame Jason Wahler, singer Gavin DeGraw (I was scratching my head on this one, too!), Pastry designers Angela and Vanessa Simmons ("Run's House"), Hef's ex-girlfriend Holly Madison ("Girls Next Door"), Nickelodeon anchor Lilly Collins (Phil Collins is her daddy), Frankie Delgado, and, of course, "My Boys" star Kyle Howard who has been seen smooching Lauren several times in public.

Even though a few editors were heard murmuring that LC's collection was a bit lackluster, not as good as her holiday 2008 looks, and probably going to be way overpriced, the audience gave Lauren a standing ovation as she confidently strutted down the runway with the smile of a gal who has successfully turned her fashion design dreams into a reality.