Alice + Olivia designer Stacey Bendet has a tendency to pile it on—to show every trend, every silhouette, every fabrication there is to show. The good news is that Bendet freed herself of fashion FOMO for Pre-Fall, instead focusing her efforts around a single inspiration: Loulou de la Falaise, the 1970s icon and muse to Yves Saint Laurent. "I loved her eccentricity and her strength," said Bendet at her Meatpacking District studio. "She wasn't a passive person." Despite paring back a bit this season, Bendet still provided plenty to choose from. There were printed palazzo pants as wide as a ball gown; army green skinny denim with snakeskin accents; floor-length jackets and vests worn over bell-bottoms. Many fabrics were lush, including an orange brocade, satin embroidered with sequined paisley, and lots of suede. Darted mock turtlenecks on everything from a cropped suede shell worn with a matching pencil skirt to a fitted jacquard dress gave it all a modern polish.
