Lela Rose – Pre Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-To-Wear

Lela Rose would seem to be, at her aesthetic core, a traditionalist, with an evident love of A-lines and classic eveningwear—each season she sets about translating those elements through the lens of the 21st century. For Resort the designer cast classic, luxury American sportswear as her guide, with help from muse Ali MacGraw, in all of her unfailingly smiley glory. If a MacGraw reference sets visions of Love Story collegiate peacoats and flares dancing through the brain, think again—the industry’s current mania for all things ’70s has yet to touch the Lela Rose brand. The designer did, however, introduce a nice wide-leg trouser that she whipped up in poppies, both the print and the hue. A floral motif reigned throughout the offering, from simpler fil coupe numbers on up to a gown in ditsy-patterned organza. Light as air but with an undeniable gravitas to its construction, the latter felt like a breezy, modern solution for Rose’s younger, gala-hopping clientele. A glossy, watercolor-esque frock with a Watteau back would also do nicely. For daytime she proposed sweet popcorn knit jackets and blush separates bearing glossy, scalloped details. Pink, patent-trimmed pieces felt a touch young. Items more in the mold of sportswear maestro Bill Blass, like an A-line crimson shirtdress, commanding in its simplicity, rang truer to the Lela Rose aesthetic.