LBS Runway Report: Lela Rose Spring 2013

Unveiling a collection at Lincoln Center signals that a designer has been granted access to the upper echelons of the fashion world. Lela Rose arrived on the iconic stage seasons ago. With this reveal it’s clear that she has no intentions of relinquishing her reign.

Viewing a Lela Rose collection is quite the whimsical experience. What distinguishes Rose from other designers is her gentle elegance. Her pieces are sophisticated and pretty, with a modern twinge that keeps her relevant season after season. She has mastered the mixture of suburban prep with boardroom stylish.

Rose has to be a preferred designer among southern belles and homemakers. She nails the “Leave it to Beaver” traditionalism every season. Her Spring 2013 collection was no exception. Lela Rose is so dedicated to upholding her signature that she defied the wind-tossed hair trend in favor of perfectly molded ponytails. To balance her classic mystique, the models adorned yellow and gold eyeshadow.

Rose relied heavily on pastels, embroidered lace and intricate prints to channel the bounciness of spring. Unlike other designers who have showed this week, she balanced deeper hues (blues, blacks) with traditional spring pastels (yellows, teals) that left me aching for those perfect 70-degree spring days

Of all 38 looks, I swooned most for a sleeveless gray pencil dress. It would be a normally be a run-of-the-mill office dress. Realizing this, Rose layered textural lace across the neck and shoulders. I’m in love.

As for celeb-spotting, Lela Rose packed some heavy hitters in her first row. Mandy Moore (I adore her) made a rare NYFW appearance, so she made sure she stole the spotlight in a canary dress with school-girl pleats and a rebellious leather jacket. 
She was accompanied by Lauren Conrad, who is definitely making rounds this week. 

Susie Homemakers behold our savior! Lela Rose has captured our fashion hearts again! 
Are you feeling Lela Rose’s collection? 

– Evette Dionne
Christina Brown

Lifestyle influencer and digital mompreneur Christina S. Brown is a New York native, LA resident, and the founder of LoveBrownSugar.com and BrownGirlsLove. She's an award-winning storyteller, a motivational speaker and an advocate for confident millennial black women.