The aesthetic leap from Joie’s bohemian attitude to the Victorian influence seducing fashion right now is not a huge one; all those floaty shirts and ruffle accents overlap both domains and, more important, appeal to the same type of woman. With this collection, the L.A.-based brand has not performed any sort of alchemy to arrive at its romantic proposal, yet the latest print dresses and fringed sweaters and flounced jacket produced a look that felt a little Arts and Crafts, a little Anita Pallenberg. Brett Ramey, who is the vice president of creative services, name-dropped the enviable rock muse, suggesting an eyelet blouse and a flattering flared jean can inspire “girl you want to date” allure. Perhaps those suede gym shorts would be a good place to start.
Ultimately, the period pieces came secondary to the range of hippie-inflected peasant dresses, nonchalantly topped with a faux-fur cropped caban or a rabbit fur–lined parka. Ramey signaled to an in-house developed print interpreted from a Moroccan carpet as evidence that Joie’s creative approach isn’t as obvious as it seems. She also noted that feminine accents underlie every look, just to varying degrees. Spot the spiked desert boots or fitted cargo pants, and you’ll likely agree.
