For Victoria Bartlett, pre-fall is about "playing with your prime pieces—manipulating and articulating them to feel fresh." One could consider the VPL designer an explorer of the female physique. Season after season, Bartlett finds new, often obscure parts of the body to highlight with her contoured, casual designs. Looking at the clothes up close, you might notice the random (although never accidental) tucks and seams trailing up the arch of the spine, for example, or variegated stripes that curve along the hipbone. VPL is known for its urban, athletic aesthetic and body-conscious silhouette. The matching blazer and cropped pant set in the first look was cut from a super-stretchy chambraylike material that really sucks you in and perks everything up—seriously gravity-defying. But the collection's standout item didn't have such a strict fit. A dolman-sleeve hooded jacket (outerwear has reportedly been a strong point of sales for VPL recently) with a structured cocoon shape met right at the intersection of comfort and style. Bartlett modeled the hoodie and said, "I love the lightness of the heavy."
