Elizabeth Mason: A Few Shades Short of Valentino Red

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Elizabeth Mason took center stage last night at Downtown L.A. Fashion Week with a line inspired by the movie Valentino: The Last Emperor. Mason, owner of The Paperbag Princess -- one of the best vintage couture shops on the West Coast (not discounting Cameron Silver's Decades) -- payed homage to the Italian fashion icon with vintage Valentino designs and stern-faced models adorned with Val's signature red lipstick. Though the presentation was gorgeous, the dresses were costume-y and seemed too exclusively suited for super-skinny starlets to wear on the carpet. (Although, I do know several non-celeb glamazons who could pull the gowns off. ) Though I'd like to say it was the dresses that blew my mind, I was most impressed by an opening performance by British phenom Matt Goss. Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin, who arrived with Goss in a silver Bentley, told me, "Matt is this generation's Frank Sinatra, he has the total package with looks and a voice that charms everyone lucky enough to listen." Indeed after hearing Goss' rendition of "Luck Be a Lady Tonight," I too was swept off my feet.

Later in the evening, The Los Angeles Spirit Award For Style and Substance was awarded to Maria Bello for her philanthropic work and the support of L.A. designers. Of Mason, Bello told me, "Elizabeth, time after time, has made me look beautiful and has fitted me in gowns that make my body and backside look perfect. She is able to make me look amazing, which gives me the confidence to go after all my goals."