For her Fall video, Audra Danielle Noyes imagined New York writer Chelsea Hodson in the solo starring role. Hodson, for her part, composed a thoughtful free-verse poem, which she reads as the audio component. The collaboration is noteworthy because, for Noyes, this collection resulted from the desire to convey a young woman's self-discovery as a shared experience.
Often the clothes spoke for themselves without all the inner-dialogue narratives. Noyes' shapes are vertical—whether a floor-length bustier dress or a generously scaled white shirt. In a way, this is more ambitious than body contouring, since there is no form to follow. Her "King dress," a simple sheath in jersey-lined wool with a gilet overlay, looked universally wearable; less so, widened trousers in dusty rose held up by straps tucked like a curtain valance. The Paris-based American designer possesses expert knowledge on fabric details and goes to great effort to source and develop custom blends (swirling silk-cotton jacquard; velvet treated to mimic pony hair; organza containing 50 percent metal fiber) that would appeal to anyone with a discerning eye and sense of touch. You can pick up on Noyes' past experience at Lanvin from her fondness for asymmetric ruffles; here, though, they seemed to project dimension rather than femininity.
Noyes has smartly extended her collection with an edited range of French jersey pieces alongside what she calls her fantasy looks. Altogether, you get a sense of breadth of skill—but also how she is at her best when she isn't overthinking.
