ALICE+OLIVIA AW15’16 READY-TO-WEAR NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Stacey Bendet loves a glam ’70s moment. To illustrate, the Alice + Olivia designer’s Fall collection opened with a Bianca Jagger-inspired tuxedo. “The story here is late ’60s, early ’70s boho with a sexy rock-and-roll vibe,” Bendet explained at her presentation in the ballroom of the Beaux-Arts-style Prince George Hotel. It’s a look many designers are going for this week, but Bendet had a way of synthesizing it to perfectly appeal to her contemporary-floor customer.

The fabric was the star. A burnished sherbet-and-rust jacquard was made into a strapless cocktail dress worn over a black lace high-neck blouse. It was also used for a tailored dress coat that paired with matching knee-high boots. Another floral jacquard—this one in blue, yellow, and silver—constituted a flares and matching long vest ensemble, which was styled back to a simple black turtleneck. A rose-embossed A-line shift was paired with over-the-knee leopard boots, and extra-wide diamond-print palazzo pants doubled as a skirt.

Bendet has a strong formalwear business, and her offerings in that category managed to stick to the season’s big idea without looking too costumey. A strapless jumpsuit, which Bendet called out as a favorite, is sure to please her customer. Its beaded top and tuxedo pants were just rock-and-roll enough