Category: Field Reports

  • Deborah Beaumont Designs: Best Modeling Team at Bureau LAFW | Nightlife Report

    Nightlife Report PickBureau LA Fashion Week · Oct. 2026

    Our team title for the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week Opening goes to the Idaho label that sent out the deepest lineup of the night.

    By Anthony Perlas, Correspondent, Nightlife Report
    nightlifereport.app · Instagram: @perlasunum · @lillithmagic
    Oct. 17, 2026 · Follow: deborahbeaumont.com · Facebook: Deborah Beaumont Designs

    WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Some designers bring one look everybody talks about. Deborah Beaumont Designs brought a whole team. On Friday, Oct. 16, at The Lot Studios, the label walked in “The Opening,” the 6 p.m. show of the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week, and it is Nightlife Report’s pick for Best Overall Modeling Team.

    Nightlife Report picks are editorial opinion by our correspondent. They are not official results of The Bureau Fashion Week, which announced no winners.

    Why a team title

    A star walk can carry a segment. A team title asks something harder: does every model, in every look, hold the standard from the first step to the last turn? Our correspondent measures the runway against a Ford Models standard, the bar Eileen Ford set for professionalism, poise and presence, without the body rules. By that measure, and in our view, the Deborah Beaumont Designs walk was the strongest overall lineup on the Opening bill.

    In our Runway Points format (borrowed from college wrestling), designers are teams and each look is a bout. A lineup that wins bout after bout with no weak link takes the dual meet. That is the case for Deborah Beaumont Designs. Full scorecards are coming; the title is our call now.

    Who is Deborah Beaumont?

    Deborah Beaumont is the designer and owner behind the label. The brand’s own site says the business started in 2004 “with Holiday and whimsical vests” before the designs “quickly grew into dresses.” (Deborah Beaumont Boutique, About Us)

    The work centers on formal, wedding and resort wear, according to the designer’s professional profile. The site describes a collection shown at New York Fashion Week as “a show-stopping display of iridescent white sparkle, dripping with rhinestone fringe.” (deborahbeaumont.com) We have not confirmed which NYFW season or producer that was.

    The label is based in Pocatello, Idaho. A columnist bio in the Idaho State Journal says Beaumont teaches modeling and fashion design through Idaho State University’s workforce training, has hosted a fashion segment on the Channel 6 morning news and has chaired the Zonta spring fashion show. (Idaho State Journal) The site also calls the designer “Ms. Senior Idaho.”

    The Opening bill

    The Bureau’s schedule lists seven designers for “The Opening”: Susan Kim, Dimez, Deborah Beaumont Designs, Krown Kink, X-X Co., Sewreffic and Saint Fortuna. (The Bureau Fashion Week schedule) Running order and model-by-look credits for the Deborah Beaumont Designs segment are still being confirmed. If you walked, send us your name and we’ll credit you.

    The Nightlife Report Awards, Opening Night

    Award (Nightlife Report pick) Winner
    Model of the Event Ava Kortman (@avakortman) (walked for Krown Kink)
    Model of the Year Ava
    Runner-up Emily Sophie Christine
    Third place Kyla Dodds
    Best Overall Modeling Team Deborah Beaumont Designs

    Nightlife Report picks are editorial opinion by our correspondent. They are not official results of The Bureau Fashion Week, which announced no winners.

    Further reading: the Ford lens

    Our correspondent judges the runway against a Ford Models standard as an editorial lens: presence, professionalism, poise and how a model reads on camera. We leave out the body rules. These books explain where that standard came from.

    More from the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week

    Updated Oct 18: Emily Sophie Christine second, Kyla Dodds third (Krissy King).

  • EXCLUSIVE: Inside Krown Kink with Casey Lee Parker

    EXCLUSIVE: Inside Krown Kink with Casey Lee Parker

    BreakingExclusiveBureau LA Fashion Week

    On camera at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week with the designer behind the label Ava Kortman (@avakortman) walked on Opening Night.

    By Anthony Perlas, Correspondent, Nightlife Report
    Published Oct. 17, 2026

    Casey Lee Parker of Krown Kink on camera with Nightlife Report
    Casey Lee Parker, the designer behind Krown Kink, talks to Nightlife Report on Friday night at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week. Frame from Nightlife Report video.

    LOS ANGELES (Nightlife Report) — The first words on our tape aren’t a question. They’re a verdict.

    “I love his clothes. He had the strongest entry, has the best model in the entire show,” I say to open the clip, recorded Friday night at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week at The Lot Studios in West Hollywood.

    The clothes belong to Casey Lee Parker (@caseyleeparker1), the designer behind KROWN KINK (@krownkink). The label’s Instagram bio calls it a “Luxury Fashion House designed by Casey Lee Parker.” The model is Ava, who walked for Krown Kink in Friday’s 6 p.m. Opening show. She’s the model Nightlife Report has now named its Model of the Event and its Model of the Year.

    On the record

    The interview is short: 44 seconds, shot on the floor of the venue. The first thing I asked him:

    “Tell us about yourself and your designs.”

    Parker talks for about 20 seconds. Most of the answer is lost under the noise of the room on our recording, and we won’t print words we can’t confirm on tape. Watch the clip and hear it for yourself. We’ll add his answer word for word once we’ve checked it against a clean audio pass.

    Then the forward-looking question, the one everybody on the floor wanted answered:

    “Amazing, amazing. And so what’s next for you? Are you at the 8:30 show, or…”

    Anthony Perlas to Casey Lee Parker, Friday night

    Watch the interview

    ▶ Video · 0:44

    Casey Lee Parker of Krown Kink with Nightlife Report

    A YouTube version will go up on @thevoden. We’ll embed it here when it’s live.

    Casey Lee Parker mid-answer
    Parker answers our questions in the venue, with the crowd behind him. Frame from Nightlife Report video.

    The look: Ava in Krown Kink

    Ava in Krown Kink, front
    Ava in Krown Kink at “The Opening,” Friday, Oct. 16. Photo: Nightlife Report
    Ava in Krown Kink, back
    The back of the Krown Kink look. Photo: Nightlife Report
    Key takeaways
    • Who: Casey Lee Parker, designer of KROWN KINK (@krownkink).
    • The model: Ava walked for Krown Kink in “The Opening,” the Bureau’s 6 p.m. show on Friday, Oct. 16.
    • The tape: a 44-second on-site interview recorded Friday night. Quotes in this story are taken word for word from the recording.
    • Our call: Nightlife Report names Ava its Model of the Event and Model of the Year. That’s our editorial pick, not an official Bureau result.
    • Next: Day 2 runs Saturday, Oct. 17, with shows at 2:30, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.
    The Nightlife Report AwardsOur picks
    Model of the EventAva (walked for Krown Kink)
    Nightlife Report Model of the YearAva
    Nightlife Report Runner-upEmily Sophie Christine
    Third PlaceKyla Dodds (walked for Krissy King)
    Best Overall Modeling TeamDeborah Beaumont Designs

    Editorial picks by Nightlife Report. These are our opinion, not official Bureau results. The Bureau announced no winners.

    Day 2 drops tonight

    Day 2 drops tonight, and the runway gets new designs. Three shows are on the Saturday bill at 2:30, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Friday ended with a Model of the Year. What Saturday brings is anyone’s guess, and we’ll be in the pit when it happens.

    Don’t miss it.
    Subscribe at blog.nightlifereport.app and follow along live on Instagram: @perlasunum and @lillithmagic. Follow the designer at @caseyleeparker1 and the label at @krownkink.

    More from the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week

    Transcript note: quotes come from a machine transcript checked against the recording. Speaker attribution comes from the video. To flag a correction, contact Nightlife Report.

    Correction (Oct. 17, 2026): An earlier version of this story named Sophie as runner-up in the Nightlife Report Awards. The Nightlife Report runner-up pick is Emily. These are Nightlife Report editorial picks, not official Bureau results.

    Updated Oct 18: Emily Sophie Christine second, Kyla Dodds third (Krissy King).

  • Nightlife Report Top News: Bureau LAFW

    Nightlife Report Top News: Bureau LAFW

    The Opening, Friday 6 p.m., at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week
    The Opening, Friday 6 p.m., at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week. Photo: Nightlife Report

    The top stories from the Bureau's LA Fashion Week so far, ranked, plus an archivist's timeline of the Bureau in Los Angeles.

    The stories that mattered from Day 1 of the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week, ranked, and the record behind them.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Updated Oct. 17, 2026

    Top stories, ranked

    1. Ava steals the show: Opening Night through the Eileen Ford lens. Designer revealed: our model of the night walked for Krown Kink (@krownkink), the luxury label of designer Casey Lee Parker (@caseyleeparker1), at Friday’s Opening. Read through the standard Ford Models’ co-founder used to spot stars.
    2. Ava vs Emily: The Colosseum of Day 1 (new). A round-by-round showdown between our model of the night, Ava Kortman (@avakortman) (Krown Kink), and Emily Sophie Christine, who walked for Sewreffic. The scorecard is open for your vote. (Link: blog.nightlifereport.app/ava-vs-emily-colosseum-bureau-lafw-day-1/ once live.)
    3. Emily and the other models worth knowing from Opening Night. Emily Sophie Christine walked for Sewreffic in “The Opening,” measured against Ford’s checklist without the body rules.
    4. Late start, packed pit: our photographer’s Day 1 at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week. The Day 1 recap from the media pit.
    5. Designer spotlight: Sewreffic. What it takes to get a collection onto the Bureau’s runway, and how the room judges it.
    6. How a fashion week really works. Who pays, who gets paid, and what the Ford standard still asks of the industry.
    7. Our rankings: Who stole the show (models) and the Day 1 coverage ranking.

    Watch: the Day 1 live stream from the pit (38 minutes).

    Rankings are Nightlife Report’s editorial view, not official Bureau results. The Bureau announced no winners.

    New York gives fashion its calendar. Los Angeles gives it its audience.

    Brady King, producer, Bureau LA release

    The archive: the Bureau in Los Angeles

    Who runs it. The Bureau Fashion Week is led by co-founders Brady King (Co-Founder & President) and Krissy King (Co-Founder), according to the Bureau’s press kit. The company produces runway showcases in New York, Paris and Los Angeles. Christina Weeks, the Bureau’s Talent and Production Manager, handled press and media information for this LA season. Press inquiries go to info@thebureaufashionweek.com.

    Timeline

    • 2016. The Bureau says it has operated since 2016 (Bureau Paris application page). It was previously known as The Society Fashion Week, LA Weekly reported in July 2026.
    • October 2025. LA season at The Lot in West Hollywood (Oct. 17–19 on the Bureau’s models page).
    • March 13–14, 2026. LA season at The Lot: five shows, with headliners including Deep Pocket Mafia, Shock Treatment, Blank Studi0s and Dammchicbyfb (Bureau schedule).
    • October 2–3, 2026. Paris Fashion Week at Espace Cléry (press fact sheet).
    • October 16–18, 2026. LA Fashion Week at The Lot Studios, 1041 N Formosa Ave, West Hollywood. Five runway shows across Friday and Saturday (schedule). The Bureau’s release says the season has “more than 40 designers.”
    • Next. New York Fashion Week, Feb. 11–14, 2027, at Gotham Hall, then Paris, March 5–7, 2027 (press fact sheet).

    The venue. The Lot Studios is a working Hollywood production lot on Formosa Avenue. The Bureau stages its LA shows on a soundstage with a runway down the middle and a media pit at the end.

    The Opening, Friday 6 p.m. Susan Kim, Dimez, Deborah Beaumont Designs, Krown Kink, X-X Co., Sewreffic and Saint Fortuna.

    Sources: The Bureau Fashion Week press kit (leadership, fact sheet, LA release), the Bureau’s LAFW schedule page, LA Weekly (July 9, 2026), and Nightlife Report’s own reporting. Attendance and press-coverage figures in Bureau materials are the company’s own claims.

    Saint Fortuna, Friday
    Saint Fortuna, Friday. Photo: Nightlife Report
  • Ava Kortman vs Emily: The Colosseum of Day 1

    Ava Kortman vs Emily: The Colosseum of Day 1

    Emily Sophie Christine walks for Sewreffic at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week, Friday
    Emily Sophie Christine walks for Sewreffic at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week, Friday. Photo: Nightlife Report

    Two names, one runway, five rounds. A caster's breakdown of Ava Kortman (@avakortman) and Emily Sophie Christine at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week Day 1, with the scorecard left open for your vote.

    Five rounds, one runway, and a verdict we’re leaving to you.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Oct. 17, 2026

    WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Welcome back to the arena, folks. The map is a soundstage at The Lot Studios, and the patch is the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week, October 2026. Two names have come out of Day 1 on everyone’s lips in our corner of the media pit: Ava and Emily Sophie Christine.

    This isn’t a fight between two people. Both walked, both worked, and both made the Opening worth the price of a ticket. The Colosseum is a format, the way a caster frames a best-of-five. We break the night into rounds, check the archive, and say plainly what’s on the tape and what isn’t. Then you call the winner.

    The draft: who picked what

    Emily Sophie Christine (@emilysophiechristine) drafted into Sewreffic (@sewreffic) for Friday’s 6 p.m. show, “The Opening.” Our camera has her in a black top and a gold-and-navy dot-print maxi skirt under the runway lights. The Sewreffic name was on the LED wall behind her.

    Ava drafted into Krown Kink (@krownkink), the luxury label of designer Casey Lee Parker (@caseyleeparker1), on the same Opening bill. Her look: a black lace bra top, red satin wide-leg trousers and a black waistband, with the KK crown logo on the LED wall behind her. She’s also the player we already crowned: Nightlife Report named Ava model of the night in our Day 1 model-first ranking, and we wrote up why in Ava steals the show.

    So the casters’ bracket looks like this:

    • Blue side: Ava. Defending model of the night. Krown Kink, by Casey Lee Parker.
    • Red side: Emily Sophie Christine. Sewreffic. On camera in our archive.
    Ava walks for Krown Kink at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week Opening, Friday, in a black lace bra top and red satin wide-leg trousers
    Ava walks for Krown Kink in “The Opening,” Friday, Oct. 16. Photo: Nightlife Report

    I always said it was an X factor.

    Eileen Ford to The Times of London, 2012

    Round 1: The entrance

    This is the laning phase. A model has the first three seconds at the top of the runway to set the tempo. The lights hit, the music sets the pace, and the room decides whether to look up from its phones.

    From the archive:

    • The Opening started at about 6:30 p.m. by our photographer’s watch. The Bureau hasn’t confirmed the time.
    • The pit was packed and the lights stayed on the walk.
    • The Sewreffic segment ran in front of a moving amber-and-gold flame visual on the LED wall.
    • The Krown Kink segment ran under the KK crown logo over a night-city visual.

    Caster’s read: Both sides now have frames, but stills don’t show the first three seconds. This round stays open.

    Round 2: The walk

    Now we’re into the micro game: pace, line and the turn. In StarCraft terms, this is APM you can see. Every step is an input, and the clean ones don’t look like effort.

    From the archive:

    • We have Emily on the walk from the front and on the return. That’s four frames in the Sewreffic set (P1000704, P1000706, P1000711, P1000713).
    • We now have Ava on the walk from the front and on the return for Krown Kink, plus a crowd-view frame: three frames.

    Caster’s read: Open. Both sides have tape now, but stills don’t show pace or the turn. We won’t score this round off still frames.

    Emily Sophie Christine on the return, Sewreffic
    Emily Sophie Christine on the return, Sewreffic. Photo: Nightlife Report
    Ava on the return for Krown Kink, the KK crown logo on the LED wall
    Ava on the return for Krown Kink, the KK crown mark on the LED wall. Photo: Nightlife Report

    Round 3: Presence

    This is the macro game, and the one Eileen Ford couldn’t put into words. “I always said it was an X factor,” the Ford Models co-founder told The Times of London in 2012. Presence is map control: who owns the room without asking for it.

    From the archive: This is the one round where we’ve already made a public call. We named Ava model of the night.

    Caster’s read: Edge to Ava, on our published call. That’s our editorial view from the pit, not an official Bureau result.

    Round 4: The crowd

    Crowd is the hype meter, the roar when the team fight breaks open.

    From the archive: We didn’t measure crowd reaction model by model, and the Bureau announced no winners.

    Caster’s read: Open. If you were in the seats, you’re the replay. Tell us.

    Sewreffic, Friday
    Sewreffic, Friday. Photo: Nightlife Report

    Round 5: The camera

    Ford built an agency on photographs. “The camera lens was ruthless, and so was Eileen,” The Guardian wrote. This round is about who reads in a still frame, the shot a magazine would actually run.

    From the archive:

    • Emily is the lead image in our Day 1 coverage.
    • Ava’s Krown Kink frames are now in: the red satin trousers against the dark runway and the KK crown on the wall read cleanly at full length.
    • The Sewreffic look reads cleanly at full length: black top, gold-and-navy print, flame wall behind.

    Caster’s read: Even. We first gave this round to Emily because hers were the only frames we had. Ava’s frames landed, so we re-opened it as promised. Both looks read in a still, and we’re calling it a tie.

    Crowd view of Ava on the Krown Kink runway, the KK crown logo on the screen behind her
    From the seats: Ava for Krown Kink, the KK crown logo on the screen behind her. Photo: Nightlife Report

    The scorecard

    Round What it tests Ava Emily Sophie Christine Our call Your vote
    1. Entrance First three seconds, tempo Frames on file (Krown Kink) On file (Sewreffic) Open ☐ Ava ☐ Emily
    2. Walk Pace, line, the turn 3 frames on file 4 frames on file Open ☐ Ava ☐ Emily
    3. Presence The X factor Our model of the night Featured in our models piece Ava ☐ Ava ☐ Emily
    4. Crowd Room reaction Not measured Not measured Open ☐ Ava ☐ Emily
    5. Camera Reads in a still Krown Kink frames on file Our lead image Even ☐ Ava ☐ Emily

    Series so far: Ava leads 1–0, Camera even, three rounds open.

    The verdict: yours

    The casters stop here. Ava has Presence, Camera is a tie, three rounds are still undecided, and no official Bureau result to settle it. Cast your vote in the comments, or reply to our Instagram post: Ava or Emily, round by round. We’ll publish the reader tally with the Saturday coverage.

    What we leave out: we don’t judge anyone’s body. This is about runway craft (entrance, walk, presence and the camera), and nothing else.

    Archive notes

    Photography: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Event: The Bureau Fashion Week Los Angeles. Rankings and round calls are Nightlife Report’s editorial opinion, not official results.

  • Designer spotlight: Sewreffic at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week

    Designer spotlight: Sewreffic at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week

    Sewreffic on the runway at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week, Friday
    Sewreffic on the runway at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week, Friday. Photo: Nightlife Report

    Sewreffic showed at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week at The Lot Studios. What it takes to get a collection onto that runway, and the standard the room is judged by.

    Sewreffic put a collection on the runway at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week this weekend. This is what that takes, and how a room like Friday’s decides who it remembers.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Oct. 17, 2026

    WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — The Bureau’s LA Fashion Week runs Oct. 16–18 at The Lot Studios, 1041 N. Formosa Ave., with five runway shows across Friday and Saturday, according to the producer’s event page. Sewreffic was among the designers who showed.

    What it takes to get on that runway

    Designers apply to the Bureau, and a curation team reviews each application on portfolio, collection cohesion, brand identity, creative direction and market fit, according to the Bureau’s designer FAQ. Most designers show 8 to 20 looks. Packages include runway production, hair and makeup teams, models, backstage support and technical direction, and designers can bring their own models with approval.

    Showing isn’t free. The Bureau’s published pricing lists runway shows at $5,000 to $35,000 depending on production level, with payment plans available. Those are the company’s figures. We don’t know what Sewreffic’s package cost, and we aren’t reporting one.

    That price compares with what designers pay elsewhere. A 2019 Vogue Business breakdown put a self-produced New York Fashion Week show at $125,000 to more than $300,000, not counting samples. Christian Siriano said of his shows: “it’s really hard for them to see actual return.” He still shows, because the runway is “such a big part of branding for the business.”

    I always said it was an X factor.

    Eileen Ford to The Times of London, 2012

    The standard in the room

    Eileen Ford, co-founder of Ford Models, spent half a century deciding which faces would sell clothes. She said she couldn’t fully explain her eye. “I always said it was an X factor,” she told The Times of London in 2012. She also knew the business. “It’s all about money,” she told American Photo, as Encyclopedia.com records. A runway like Friday’s tests both halves: the collection has to make the room look up, and the show has to pay off for the brand afterward.

    Sewreffic, Friday
    Sewreffic, Friday. Photo: Nightlife Report

    On the night

    Friday’s 6 p.m. “The Opening” started at about 6:30 by our photographer’s watch; the Bureau hasn’t confirmed the time. The media pit was packed. The set felt like a Hollywood studio production, and the tone was elegant and fairly conservative. Our best-designer pick for the night was Deborah Beaumont Designs; see our Day 1 coverage ranking.

    Coming up

    Nightlife Report is working on a conversation with Sewreffic. When it runs, it will be in the designer’s own words.

    Emily Sophie Christine walks for Sewreffic
    Emily Sophie Christine walks for Sewreffic. Photo: Nightlife Report

    Photography: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Event: The Bureau Fashion Week Los Angeles. Pricing figures are the producer’s published rates, not amounts paid by any designer.

  • Ava Kortman steals the show: Opening Night through the Eileen Ford lens

    Ava Kortman steals the show: Opening Night through the Eileen Ford lens

    Ava walks for Krown Kink at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week Opening, Friday, in a black lace bra top and red satin wide-leg trousers
    Ava Kortman (@avakortman) walks for Krown Kink in “The Opening,” Friday, Oct. 16. Photo: Nightlife Report

    Our model of the night at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week opening, read through the standard Ford Models co-founder Eileen Ford used to spot stars.

    BREAKING: Ava’s designer revealed. The model who owned Friday’s opening at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week walked for Krown Kink (@krownkink), the label of designer Casey Lee Parker (@caseyleeparker1). The house bills itself as a “Luxury Fashion House designed by Casey Lee Parker.” The look: a black lace bra top, red satin wide-leg trousers and a black waistband, under the KK crown on the LED wall.

    The woman who built Ford Models said she could never explain the thing she was looking for. On Friday night at The Lot, our pick for model of the night had it.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Oct. 17, 2026

    WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Eileen Ford co-founded Ford Models in the late 1940s and ran it for almost half a century. The New York Times wrote that she “influenced standards of beauty for more than four decades.” She scouted the way a photographer works: one face, one frame at a time. Sometimes she would follow a stranger for a few blocks, “appraising her (and, after drawing close enough, usually walking away).”

    At the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week opening on Friday, from the center of a packed media pit, we found one model we couldn’t look away from: Ava, walking for Krown Kink.

    The call

    Nightlife Report named Ava model of the night in our Day 1 model-first ranking. That is our editorial view from the pit. It is not an official Bureau result, and the Bureau announced no winners.

    The camera lens was ruthless, and so was Eileen.

    The Guardian, 2014

    The Ford test: the X factor

    Ford never claimed to have a formula. “I always said it was an X factor,” she told The Times of London in 2012. “They just had it.”

    She did describe what it looked like. “There’s a cockiness to them,” she told Life magazine in 1970, as Encyclopedia.com records. “It’s a way they have of moving, and it’s a way of talking to you.” That was our standard Friday: who made a crowded, camera-heavy room look up.

    Ava on the return for Krown Kink, the KK crown logo on the LED wall
    Ava on the return for Krown Kink, the KK crown mark on the LED wall. Photo: Nightlife Report

    The look: Krown Kink

    Krown Kink (@krownkink) is the label of designer Casey Lee Parker (@caseyleeparker1). It was on the Bureau’s published bill for the 6 p.m. show, “The Opening,” on Friday, Oct. 16. Ava’s look paired a black lace bra top with red satin wide-leg trousers finished in a black waistband. The red read cleanly against the dark runway, and the KK crown logo filled the LED wall behind the walk.

    Crowd view of Ava on the Krown Kink runway, the KK crown logo on the screen behind her
    From the seats: Ava for Krown Kink, the KK crown logo on the screen behind her. Photo: Nightlife Report

    The room she had to hold

    The 6 p.m. show, billed “The Opening,” started at about 6:30 by our photographer’s watch; the Bureau hasn’t confirmed the time. The pit had no room to move. The lights stayed on the walk. The music mixed urban and cultural sounds, including segments set to African designers’ music. The tone was elegant and fairly conservative, and the set felt like a Hollywood studio production. Ava held that room.

    Built for the lens

    Ford judged for the camera. “The camera lens was ruthless, and so was Eileen,” The Guardian wrote in her obituary. Ford Models’ trade was photographs, and our job in the pit was the same: find the frames that read.

    The business half of the standard

    “Models are a business, and they have to treat themselves as a business,” Ford told the Toronto Star in 1988, as the Associated Press reported. The Fords helped turn modeling into a steady job. Her husband, Jerry, introduced a five-day workweek and a voucher system so models were paid in advance, at a time when they “often had to wait a year or more to be paid,” per the Times.

    What we leave out

    Ford also had strict rules about height, weight and figure, and they drew criticism for decades. On “The Dick Cavett Show” in 1971 she said, “slender people bury the dead.” We don’t apply those rules to anyone. This call is about presence, carriage and the camera. It isn’t about bodies.

    The bill

    The Bureau’s published schedule lists seven designers for the 6 p.m. show: Susan Kim, Dimez, Deborah Beaumont Designs, Krown Kink, X-X Co., Sewreffic and Saint Fortuna. Our best-designer pick was Deborah Beaumont Designs. Ava walked for Krown Kink, designed by Casey Lee Parker. Emily Sophie Christine walked for Sewreffic. The rest of the running order is still being confirmed. If you walked, send us your name and we’ll credit you.

    We’re back Saturday for the 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. shows.

    Photography: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Event: The Bureau Fashion Week Los Angeles. Ranking is Nightlife Report’s editorial opinion, not an official result.

  • Emily and the other models worth knowing from Opening Night

    Emily and the other models worth knowing from Opening Night

    Emily Sophie Christine walks for Sewreffic at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week, Friday
    Emily Sophie Christine walks for Sewreffic at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week, Friday. Photo: Nightlife Report

    Emily and the models who held the room at the Bureau's LA Fashion Week opening, judged on presence, carriage, the camera and professionalism, the parts of Eileen Ford's standard that still hold.

    Some 60,000 hopefuls a year came through Eileen Ford’s open houses and scouting trips. She estimated about 30 a year made it. We use her checklist, minus the body rules, on the runway we photographed Friday.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Oct. 17, 2026

    WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Ford Models co-founder Eileen Ford ran one of the hardest funnels in fashion. The Associated Press reported that about 60,000 people a year came to the agency’s open houses and scouting trips, about 100 reached the testing stage, and she estimated about 30 established a foothold. Here is how her standard reads on Friday’s runway at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week.

    The checklist

    What we leave out: Ford’s height, weight and figure rules. They are documented and drew decades of criticism, and we don’t apply them to anyone.

    None of these will do. I want to look at all entrants.

    Eileen Ford, Helsinki, 1961, per The Times

    Emily

    Emily Sophie Christine (@emilysophiechristine) walked for Sewreffic (@sewreffic) in Friday’s 6 p.m. show, “The Opening.” She is the model in our photographs from that show, in a black top and a gold-and-navy dot-print maxi skirt under the runway lights. Emily’s team placed second in our Day 1 coverage ranking. That is our editorial view, not a Bureau result.

    Emily Sophie Christine for Sewreffic
    Emily Sophie Christine for Sewreffic. Photo: Nightlife Report

    The rest of the runway

    Our model-first ranking has our model of the night. Beyond that, the Bureau hasn’t published a model list, and we won’t guess names from photos.

    Ford held herself to a similar rule. Judging a magazine beauty contest in Helsinki in 1961, she was handed the editors’ top 20 and refused them: “None of these will do. I want to look at all entrants,” she said, according to the Times. She went through more than 700 photos. If you walked Friday’s 6 p.m. show, send us your name and we’ll add you.

    Why a Ford lens now

    Ford’s standard had two halves. One was an eye for presence that still holds up. The other was a body ideal the industry is still arguing about. A 2017 Model Alliance study found 62% of models had been told to lose weight by their agency or an industry professional, The New Republic reported. We keep the first half and leave out the second.

    Photography: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Event: The Bureau Fashion Week Los Angeles. Rankings are Nightlife Report’s editorial opinion, not official results.

  • Who stole the show? Nightlife Report’s Day 1 model-first ranking

    Who stole the show? Nightlife Report’s Day 1 model-first ranking

    Dek: The clothes were on the bill. The models made the room look up. Here is who took the runway at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week Opening, in our view.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Sat Oct 17, 2026

    Read this first: This is Nightlife Report’s editorial ranking from our photographer’s seat. It is not an official Bureau result. Names below were taken from our correspondent’s notes, and spellings are being confirmed. Ava Kortman (@avakortman) walked for Krown Kink (designer Casey Lee Parker), and no photo here is tied to a designer or a person’s name.

    Model of the night

    Ava. Our pick for model of the night. She stole the show, in our view. Read the exclusive: Inside Krown Kink with Casey Lee Parker.

    Also named: Leigh Wan. Our notes name Leigh Wan alongside the top spot. Spelling is being confirmed.

    Nightlife Report runner-up (final placings): Emily Sophie Christine. Emily walked for Sewreffic in “The Opening.”

    Third place: Kyla Dodds. Kyla walked for Krissy King on Saturday.

    Best Overall Modeling Team: Deborah Beaumont Designs

    Deborah Beaumont Designs, with the strongest overall lineup of the night, in our view.

    Why it landed

    The 6 p.m. show started at about 6:30 by our photographer’s watch (not confirmed by the Bureau). The pit was packed, and the lights stayed on the walk. We shot on a camera as primary, with the phone as backup. This is what we saw from the pit: models who held the room.

    Runway, Day 1
    Photo: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Not matched to a designer or named person.

    Runway, Day 1
    Photo: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Not matched to a designer or named person.

    Runway, Day 1
    Photo: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Not matched to a designer or named person.

    Every designer on the bill, every model on the runway

    The Bureau’s schedule lists seven designers for the 6 p.m. “The Opening”: Susan Kim, Dimez, Deborah Beaumont Designs, Krown Kink, X-X Co., Sewreffic and Saint Fortuna. Susan Kim is also listed at 8:30 p.m. Running order and who wore which look are unconfirmed. We credit every designer and model on that runway equally. The Bureau has not published a model list, so if you walked, send us your name and we’ll credit you.

    Agencies and casting

    We looked for public information on agency talent and casting-director comments. We found none naming Ford Models talent, and no public comment from a casting director about Day 1. What the Bureau says publicly: its casting directors select the models, and models apply directly through its casting form (source: Bureau support page “Models, Fittings & Hair/Makeup: How It Works” and its model application page). If you represent talent who walked, tell us.

    Day 2 is next

    We’re back Saturday for the 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. shows.

    • Full Day 1 stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/VrVB7RiDYFk
    • Photos on Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v4S0pltGaVRGxQEKPQAFMHoLOpTzCjvN
    • Photos on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rf9wop0f2avk0nv6mrv7o/ALbdQcA6fQ6zoNWLVFlCD7E?rlkey=7mnpxwcrt5dwoyi9ni9d400p4&st=0fsfhb6c&dl=0
    • Day 1 report: https://blog.nightlifereport.app/bureau-la-fashion-week-day-1-late-start-packed-pit/
    • Coverage ranking: https://blog.nightlifereport.app/nightlife-report-day-1-coverage-ranking-bureau-la-fashion-week/

    Credit: Photography Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Event: The Bureau Fashion Week Los Angeles. Ranking is Nightlife Report’s editorial opinion, not an official result.

    Correction (Oct. 17, 2026): An earlier version of this post named Sophie as first runner-up. The Nightlife Report runner-up pick is Emily. This is Nightlife Report’s editorial ranking, not an official Bureau result.

    Updated Oct 18: Emily Sophie Christine second, Kyla Dodds third (Krissy King).

  • Nightlife Report’s Day 1 coverage ranking: Ava takes the crown, Emily’s team lands on the podium

    Nightlife Report’s Day 1 coverage ranking: Ava takes the crown, Emily’s team lands on the podium

    Dek: Seven designers on the bill, one packed pit, and a late start. Here is Nightlife Report’s call on who owned Opening Night at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Sat Oct 17, 2026

    Read this first: This is Nightlife Report’s coverage ranking. It is our editorial view from our photographer’s seat. It is not an official Bureau result, and the Bureau has announced no winners. Nobody in this ranking was scored by a judge.

    The final table

    #1 Ava Kortman (@avakortman). A strong lineup, and she carried the team. That is the verdict from our side of the lens. We have a designer interview with Ava coming later, and we’ll put her in her own words when it runs.

    #2 Emily’s team. Our silver, in our editorial view.

    Editor’s note: our files don’t yet confirm who “Emily” is or which designer she represents. We have not matched any person in our photos to a designer. We’ll tighten this line once the interviews and credits are confirmed.

    Best designer, our pick: Deborah Beaumont Designs, with the strongest overall lineup of the night. The only matching name on the Bureau’s published bill is Deborah Beaumont Designs, and we are confirming that is who we mean. This is Nightlife Report’s view, not a Bureau award.

    How the night played

    The 6 p.m. “The Opening” started at about 6:30 by our photographer’s watch, and the Bureau has not confirmed that time. The halls were nearly empty when we arrived. By showtime the media pit had no room to move. The set felt like a studio production. The music mixed urban and cultural sounds, including segments set to African designers’ music. The tone was elegant and fairly conservative. Our camera was the primary, and the phone was the backup.

    Think of it as a final. A full house and a late start, then the stage lights come up, and everything gets decided by who holds the room.

    The full bill: every designer gets a line

    The Bureau’s published schedule lists seven designers for Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. We cover all seven equally. Running order, which look belonged to whom, and whether every listed designer showed are all unconfirmed.

    1. Susan Kim. Also listed for 8:30 p.m.
    2. Dimez
    3. Deborah Beaumont Designs
    4. Krown Kink
    5. X-X Co.
    6. Sewreffic
    7. Saint Fortuna

    Ranks #3 and below stay open. We did not verify a full order, and we will not invent one. Every name above is on the Bureau bill, and every name gets the same open door for a Nightlife Report interview.

    The models

    Every model on the runway gets equal credit here. We have no verified model list yet. The Bureau has not published one, and we won’t guess names from photos. If you walked, send your name, and we’ll credit you.

    From the pit

    Runway, Day 1
    Photo: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Not matched to any designer.

    Runway, Day 1
    Photo: Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Not matched to any designer.

    Model-first take: Who stole the show on Day 1.

    Watch, look, share

    • Full Day 1 stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/VrVB7RiDYFk
    • Photos on Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v4S0pltGaVRGxQEKPQAFMHoLOpTzCjvN
    • Photos on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rf9wop0f2avk0nv6mrv7o/ALbdQcA6fQ6zoNWLVFlCD7E?rlkey=7mnpxwcrt5dwoyi9ni9d400p4&st=0fsfhb6c&dl=0
    • Our Day 1 report: https://blog.nightlifereport.app/bureau-la-fashion-week-day-1-late-start-packed-pit/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillithmagic
    • Newspaper: https://nightlifereport.app

    Next up

    We’re back Saturday for the 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. shows. The ranking will move as we see more. The Ava interview is coming.

    Credit: Photography Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Event: The Bureau Fashion Week Los Angeles. Ranking is Nightlife Report’s editorial opinion, not an official result.

  • Late start, packed pit: our photographer’s Day 1 at the Bureau’s LA Fashion Week

    Dek: Nightlife Report was in the media pit for “The Opening.” Camera up, show late, and a published bill of seven designers.

    By Anthony Perlas · Nightlife Report · Updated Sat Oct 17, 2026

    WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — I walked into the Bureau’s opening night before the doors filled, and the halls were empty. By showtime the media pit had no room to move.

    I shot the night on a camera. That was my primary. The phone was my backup. The 6 p.m. show started at about 6:30, by my watch. The Bureau has not confirmed that time.

    What I saw
    – Check-in: staff checked my ID, then issued a ticket and a media press pass. It took longer than most events.
    – The room: small, full and camera-heavy. The set felt like a Hollywood studio production. The music mixed urban and cultural sounds, including segments set to African designers’ music. The tone was elegant and fairly conservative. (My observations.)
    – My first impression of the empty halls: they reminded me of a college campus. That is my impression, not a description of the venue.

    On the bill (company listing)
    The Bureau’s published schedule lists seven designers for the Oct. 16, 6 p.m. “The Opening”: Susan Kim, Dimez, Deborah Beaumont Designs, Krown Kink, X-X Co., Sewreffic, Saint Fortuna. Susan Kim is also listed for 8:30 p.m. We have not confirmed running order, which look belonged to whom, or that every listed designer showed. No photo here is tied to a designer. (Source: thebureaufashionweek.com schedule, checked Oct. 17.)

    The rules in the pit
    Per the Bureau’s Oct. 13 press guidelines: check-in opens an hour before showtime; no assigned press seats; monopods, no tripods; no phones in the pit except designated social-media interns; no backstage access; edited, high-resolution photo and video due within seven days. Nightlife Report’s media pit booking for Oct. 16, 6 p.m. was confirmed by the Bureau’s RSVP system on Oct. 13.

    Watch and look
    – Full Day 1 stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/VrVB7RiDYFk
    – Photos (Drive): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v4S0pltGaVRGxQEKPQAFMHoLOpTzCjvN
    – Photos folder (Dropbox): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rf9wop0f2avk0nv6mrv7o/ALbdQcA6fQ6zoNWLVFlCD7E?rlkey=7mnpxwcrt5dwoyi9ni9d400p4&st=0fsfhb6c&dl=0
    – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillithmagic
    – More from Nightlife Report: https://blog.nightlifereport.app · https://forum.nightlifereport.app · https://nightlifereport.app

    Who runs it
    The Bureau Fashion Week is led by co-founders Krissy King and Brady King, per L’Officiel Monaco (Aug. 6, 2026) and the company’s About page. The company says it draws 12,000 to 15,000-plus in-person guests per event; we could not verify that figure. The Los Angeles season runs Oct. 16-18.

    I’m back Saturday for the 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. shows.

    Still unknown: the Bureau-confirmed start time, who wore what, and the running order.

    Credit: Photography Anthony Perlas / Nightlife Report. Event: The Bureau Fashion Week Los Angeles.

Nightlife Report · Forum · anthony@lillith.vip

Nightlife Report is an independent LA desk. Publisher's note: Anthony Perlas's personal long-term mission, a spacefaring future so life can outlast Earth's roughly billion-year habitable window, never decides what we cover or how.