Coverage By Laurie Brucker. Laurie Brucker is an image consultant and celebrity stylist based in Los Angeles, California. She is the international brand ambassador for Sense of Fashion, you may follow her on Twitter @LaurieBStyle.

May 7th and 8th proved to be yet another successful Legends of La Cienega celebration put on by the La Cienega Design Quarter and sponsored by Elle Decor.

Only two years old now and with the benefits going towards Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA), the Legends of La Cienega brought the same excitement as the year before.   And with an anchor event like a Catherine Malandrino runway show at her La Cienega store Maison, hosted by the fabulous designer herself, this fashionista couldn’t resist an opportunity to stand in the presence of fashion greatness.

This was my second year in a row, and I was fortunate enough to attend the high profile panel prior to the show at Lee Stanton Antiques  Even with a closed list, my strategy was to just show up… and well, that worked just fine.

Moderated by Elle Decor Editor-in-Chief Margaret Russell, the topic was on Vintage Lineage — focusing on the the ways that vintage inspires design trends from home to fashion. And our panelists?  Catherine Malandrino, Fashion Designer, Cameron Silver, Founder of Decades, and Chris Barrett, Interior Designer.

“I was thinking about wrapping fabric in a different way that feels very effortless. I love to give a timeless quality to clothes.” – Catherine Malandrino on her collection

What was so brilliant about this panel is the way I could see — from all different perspectives — the same opinion about vintage’s role in design.  From the interior designer, to the designer and to the vintage collector, all were in agreement.  The past dictates our future.  What is considered to be retro is now synonymous with modern.

Think Madmen retro, which is actually new age modern chic.   As fashion design and interior design are ever evolving, designers are always digging deep in the past for inspiration and as per all panelists, the key to successful re-invention is to not take our history too literally. Truly the blending of the past and future is what makes style unique.  And the key to it all, is to wear (in home or on you) your vintage so well that nobody knows it’s vintage.  The result?  You are Timeless.

“I like the idea that the woman has to stay elegant, like a queen. It is the idea of making it effortless but beautiful at the same time.” – C. Malandrino

“Every woman needs to have chiffon dresses in her wardrobe and I think every one should own some dress in a crochet.” – C. Malandrino

This is such an appropriate comment to make, as being timeless is one of the key elements to Catherine Malandrino’s design theory.  As the runway show finally commenced, I realized that it was not just a runway; rather, it was a peak into the mind of Catherine as she, along with close friend and supporter Keisha Whitaker, spoke about most of her Spring/Summer 2010 Collection pieces. And truly, the ongoing theme was the essence of timelessness, effortlessness, and true radiating beauty. Catherine envisions these ideals when designing her collection no matter what was inspiring her that particular season.

This season?  She had on her mind the idea of nomadic style.  Which not only did she mention during the panel but was so perfectly illustrated in her worldly inspired collection.

“I want to go into an experimental nomadic lifestyle where woman is free to travel the world and express her own personality through clothes and through their travels” – C. Malandrino

Nomadicism: the idea of creatively to moving, rotating, and evolving what inspires you, what you wear and how you wear it.  To truly be free with how you dress and how you represent yourself. And to Catherine, that is the key to real beauty.  Freedom to be.