Maggie Barry Beach Club hits the runway at ReveLAtion LA

“I have a line that we specialize, Maggie Barry Beach Club emphasis on club.” – Maggie Barry

HOLLYWOOD, CA (LA ELEMENTS) 11/26/2016 –  “It’s not just swimming suits as far as swimming suits go,” says fashion designer Maggie Barry between rehearsals for her show at ReveLAtion LA , Night One on 11/05/2016.   “They’re components, so it’s based towards a lifestyle of not necessarily being on the beach but being at a club, at a pool in Las Vegas, where you don’t add sand you add heels. So it’s more of a “party swimsuit” line that also goes into other moments…just like a whole weekend, a weekend away even.”

Barry closed Night One of ReveLAtion LA at Siren Studios in Hollywood. This two-day fashion immersive event featured industry panels, pop up shops from acclaimed brands such as Nicole Miller and Jessie Liu and of course unforgettable shows from celebrated designers.

Barry’s models strode out to a hypnotic pounding EDM beat that harmonized, literally and figuratively with this particular line. “Maggie Barry’s Beach Club” made generous use of glitter as well as eye-catching neonesque and metallic colors. Ensembles ran the gamut from sporty bikini tops, jackets and capris combos, to skin-tight designs evoking the sleekness of a wet suit (but more alluring), and pretty much everything in between.

One particular function to this fashion was versatility as many of the pieces in this collection could easily combo up with a wide array of seperates.   “My style philosophy is having components that have more than one use, so that they’re almost like jewelry,” says Barry. “They’re accessories to whatever the evening is. For example, my little tops are great with jeans. They’re great out at night. They’re great as a day top with a denim jacket and jeans. Not necessarily, ‘I’m going swimming,’ it’s more than just swimsuits. And sometimes swimsuits look weird if they go past the element of just the pool. So, this is ok, you can wear this when you are ready to just go out and have your summer swim body and you want to look hot.   It’s not like…. when you wear a swimsuit out, you always feel guilty that it is a swimsuit, but it is a hot look. It’s almost like you can’t wear it out, this, you can wear out. It’s intended to be worn beyond the pool, beyond the water. Looks great next to the water, but it really should be out on a hot summer night.”

“If you’re going to do like your Daisy or you’re going to do Burning Man, they’re really components that are very exercise and movement friendly but they can be a swimming suit. But odds are they’re going to end up in a lot of other places besides the pool. They are generally things that you would never get in the water. You would basically be partying and looking awesome by the water.”

Outside of fashion runway shows, Barry has collaborated with stylist Lee Moore on memorable looks for such recording artists as Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum. Lady Gaga and Katy Perry have also worn her designs.

“When you’re in the spotlight and you’re on stage, clothing is more than clothing. It has so many photo moments that it has to have. When I design clothes, I think in terms of ‘How does it photograph? How does it look on camera?’ Everything I do, I’m always thinking about the picture. The selfie. (laughs) There’s functionality but more importantly, the function is, you have to look freaking hot in it!  That’s kind of how I always look at anything. You know, whatever it is, if it’s just like a ‘Lady Antebellum’ moment, that’s a beautiful, hot moment but it’s not necessarily what people think the word, ‘hot’ is. You just need to look the best you can ever look.”

“The whole designing is a journey. In a lot of ways if I would have known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have had as much fun as I had in the beginning of my career. So sometimes you shouldn’t know, you should just evolve with what’s going on. I’ve always done what I want so I’ve never really changed how I feel or what I do. I just  find the customer. When people say to me, ‘Oh that’s too crazy. That’s too weird!’ Well you know what? There’s somebody who wants that crazy weird thing. We’re not all the same people, we are individuals. The people that want what I do, find me and I find them.”

Do you want more of Maggie Barry?  Check out her Facebook

All photography courtesy of  Vincent A. Chavez

ReveLAtion LA was produced by ParkerWhitaker Productions

Follow LA ELEMENTS on Twitter and Instagram.  Like us on Facebook.