Bal Harbour

aving attended hundreds of runway shows worldwide over the course of her career, Booth Moore has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of fashion history. She has authored three books, including "American Runway: 75 Years of Fashion and the Front Row," with the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Now the West Coast Executive Editor of Women's Wear Daily, Moore counts her 17-year run at the Los Angeles Times, where she served as the paper's first fashion critic, as a milestone. Moore's long time perch— covering Holly wood's red carpets and style scene—has proven to be an exceptional vantage point as the fashion pendulum continues to swing westward. Any early inklings that you would delve into Hollywood? Growing up in New York City, I always idealized Los Angeles. It also had a lot to do with the music my mom listened to—in the 1970s it was Stevie Nicks and Linda Ronstadt, and in the '80s, The Go-Gos—envisioning that whole world and wanting to be a part of it. Growing up, I had magazine clippings up on my bedroom wall of palm trees, convertibles, Chanel swimsuits, and people roller skating. I devoured fashion magazines and loved shopping. (I joke that I carried a purse from the time that I was three.) I think there is something in my DNA. How did you make the career leap to LA? My best friend had moved out here to work in film, so she kind of paved the way. I drove cross-country in 1996 and was eventually introduced to someone at the Los Angeles Times. I took the first job I could get—doing listings and weekend features for the Calendar section—and got to know the fashion editor, Mimi Avins. She gave me my first freelance assignment: To interview Stevie Nicks about her clothes during the '97 Fleetwood Mac tour. Eventually, they hired me to do a lifestyle column about Hollywood parties, and then I landed in the fashion section and rose through the ranks. In 2004, I was named the first fashion critic at the Times; that was really a mark of how the paper wanted to put fashion on the same level of importance, in terms of criticism and consideration, as other arts like film and music. I was also a co-founding editor of the Image section. Other memorable career moments? I was in New York for Fashion Week on 9/11. Being able to pivot from New York Fashion Week to covering the fall of the towers was defining in my career. There were two of us there to cover shows, but the Times didn't have a huge sta¡ in New York, so it was all hands on deck. Before I worked at the Times, I had a job with the celebrity fanzine Bop; a record company contacted us to interview this new band, the Spice Girls. So I was one of the first people in the US to interview them, and I still have a cute picture of us from that assignment. That was a full-circle moment because, when Victoria and David Beckham moved their family to LA [in 2007], I was the first person to interview her for the cover of the Image section. It was fun to show her that old photo. I also had one of the first interviews with Tom Ford after he moved to LA. Any idea how many fashion shows you have covered? Hundreds! What scares me is wondering if I've spent a year of my life going to fashion shows. Can you speak to some standout runway moments—be it collections or the theater of it all? I'm jumping around in time here, but certainly the Chanel show in 2014 was amazing, where Karl Lagerfeld transformed the Grand Palais into a supermarket, and the 2010 Chanel show, where he brought in a huge iceberg from Sweden. Then Dries van Noten, who is a favorite designer of mine, had an anniversar y show [Spring 2005] where g uests were seated for dinner and models walked the leng th of the table. After the meal, shelves came down and there was his anniversary book at each place setting. Tom Ford's last show at Gucci [2004] was very memorable, with the white dresses and rosebuds; it felt like such a moment for American designers, because he really transformed that company. A lot of Marc Jacobs shows are memorable, too, in terms of the stagecraft. One show [Fall 2016], inspired by illustrator Edward Gorey, was very Goth, with some shadow play. The clothes always rise to the occasion, so it's not like you're just watching special e¡ects. As someone on the road a lot, do you have any packing hacks and wardrobe tips? Well, I realized that sometimes it's cheaper to ship a suitcase than to pay the fee for a second bag. After doing this for 25 years or so, things have changed a lot. It used to be skirts and heels, but now editors in the front row at shows are often wearing jeans and sneakers. I'm always trying to find comfortable shoes, because the truth is there's a lot of schlepping around, running in and out of shows and walking long distances. It's not that glamorous. The shoe that I wore to death this last season was the Alaïa mesh Mary Jane flat with a flexible sole. It's chic and, if it gets wet, it doesn't matter. I usually have my laptop in a Longchamp tote, because it's waterproof and does the job. What trends are capturing your attention for spring? The jelly flats from The Row, as the next iteration of comfy flats. I feel like quiet luxur y is continuing a bit . It will be interesting to see if people continue to buy into things that are not as recognizable, so they last for years, or maybe forever. On the other hand, there's been this huge surge of logo dressing, and louder colors and prints, particularly in menswear, that is interesting. One of the developments in fashion that I've been happy to follow is the rise of resort-style fashion becom- ing a categor y in and of itself. Brands like La DoubleJ, Rhode, Marie France Van Damme, and Zimmermann have ex tended that resor t feeling throughout the year. Moore is MORE FASHION CRITIC BOOTH MOORE LOOKS BACK ON HER GROUNDBREAKING CAREER—AND FORWARD, TOWARD SPRING TRENDS. BY INGRID SCHMIDT H ASK THE EXPERT 106 BAL HARBOUR

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