It is a guarantee that the phenomenal Lela Rose will deliver a beautiful, elegant and delicate collection every New York Fashion Week. The Texas-native has earned a stellar reputation for creating gorgeous clothing, and she didn’t disappoint her core June Cleaver-esque audience this season.
Her catwalk was dominated by sophisticated, stylish designs that scream uptown chic while also bestowing those attributes on the wearer. It was a pristine presentation of ultra-femininity, highlighted in the printed a-line dresses and skirts that comprised the bulk of the collection.
Like most designers, the Texas-native needed a muse to ignite her fashion spark. She found her inspiration in the mid-century architecture of Arne Jacobson.
“I was in Copenhagen in [the restaurant] Noma, and it’s filled with all these mid-century references,” Rose told Fashionista.com. “It was so interesting, because I’ve always loved mid-century design but this restaurant was using it in such a modern way.”
She was especially enthralled with the swan and egg curvatures of the chairs in Noma, so the powerhouse designer constructed smooth, feminine silhouettes that perfectly draped the models’ bodies without producing a body-conscious aesthetic.
Rose maintained a traditional spring palette for this collection. There were pops of lace and tweed, but most of the ensembles relied on softer, pastel hues – like simple lavenders, chalkier blues and dynamic pewters – to showcase the renewing spirit of spring.
There were also several pieces that relied on layered colors and textures – like the beautiful white dress with an unorthodox splash of black across the waistline – which made the collection interesting.
Like Jacobson, Rose constructed an inspiring collection that will surely fill the dinner parties in the upper-East Side apartments of senator’s wives. She stuck to her formula, unveiling a dainty, but modern aesthetic that has worked for her season after season.
I don’t often pine for Lela Rose pieces in my personal closet, but I adored her usage of tweed separates, especially the mini-shorts with a longer overcoat. I prefer to don tweed in the fall, so I’ll need these shorts in the coming weeks. Hopefully, a mass retailer (ahem, ASOS Curve) will capitalize on this trend.
Models followed the minimalist look of the week. Their messy two-ponytail bun and simple Black, pointed-toe flats allowed the clothes to shine.
This collection was a melody of beauty and sophistication that played all the right notes for fans of the designer, including me.
Now all I need are some tweed shorts.
What are your thoughts on Lela Rose’s spring collection?
Photos courtesy of IMAXtree