For Resort, Alice + Olivia's Stacey Bendet imagined "a girl who leaves boarding school and stays with her aunt in an English countryside manor for that pivotal summer where she transforms into a woman." Accordingly, the new collection mixed together some of the whimsical pieces we've come to expect from A+O with ones that felt decidedly grown-up for the contemporary brand. An on-trend lace maxi skirt with sheer panels was paired with a tailored tweed jacket that had slightly puffed sleeves, while crop tops were shown with flattering high-waisted trousers cut from a stretchy crepe. Still, Bendet couldn't resist including some downright flirty fare, like a clutch made to look like a strawberry and an A-line shirtdress featuring embroidered lips that captured, as she said, "the total whimsy and fun of my muse running down a grand flight of stairs." The designer let her imagination run wild this season, and it paid off. These were comparatively sophisticated clothes that her youthful customer will grow into.
