FAVORITE COLLECTIONS

I”m choosing Alice + Olivia . Therefore I’m happy to put out my 2nd post in my series of favorite collections for S/S2017 . Since last fall when I first saw this collection I have been thinking about it

Hence it’s not often that an old hand like myself is so excited by a new collection.

First and foremost the remarkable thing to me about Stacey Bendet is we share a love of oversize sunglasses. Therefore I was surprised that this is the first year Alice + Olivia has shown sunglasses Since they have plenty of different shapes and styles. Stacey is an artist who often incorporates an image of herself wearing large glasses into her designs.

ALICE + OLIVIA THE COLLECTION

While I can appreciate minimalism , I rejoice in the baroque and love the flamboyant. The collections that often excite me are detailed, have exuberance and grandeur. For this reason I love this collection .

THE STORY

Strangely enough I always enjoy hearing the about the influence and inspiration for a collection. However the story has to be told not only in words but be present in the designs. Therefore I was enthralled to hear Stacey Bendet tell the tale of her Spring /Summer 2017 collection

Actually the story is a travel log . While traveling in Italy Ms Bendet and her friend artist Lola Schnabel visited The Bomarzo Gardens . Of course it is easy to be inspired by such a remarkable place . In fact the gardens are often cited as inspiring , known as “Park of the Monsters ” or ” Parco dei Mostri” , they are filled with frightening sculptures created in the 16 th century. Stacey Bendet found this to be a magical place . Meanwhile her travel companion was working on an art project involving tarot cards.

Hence Bendet was inspired to craft a story combining the gardens and the tarot cards for her spring Alice and Olivia collection. Therefore the tale of two girls who stumble on a pile of tarot cards , and each card takes them to a different part of the Bomarzo Gardens.

THE CLOTHES

At this point the clothes must take on the story of the tarot and the romance of Italy, particularly the Gardens of Bomarzo. The collection was presented in a fairy tale garden created by the designers team.

This all translated into a collection of flirty frocks and embroidered gowns. Since the Italian theme is up for interpretation , we see a strong sexy woman and a whimsical girl . The clothes are rich with detail and feminine frills . As to be expected from the label it was filled with floral embroidered lace, ribbon trim, graphic flower prints and tiered ruffles galore.

On the other hand the Alice + Olivia customer has enjoyed a less romantic past and the clever designer did not leave them wanting. We saw strong black and white pants and skirts . Of course embroidered denim and strong suiting were here and are on trend. In my opinion the story was only partly realized . Arguably who cares because we are have a collection here that is chic modern and unquestionably wearable . There are pieces here for every girl and woman.