For Pre-Fall, the Alice + Olivia girl hit the books. Designer Stacey Bendet said she was envisioning a “chic librarian or school girl studying at the library.” But if you think that would put a damper on the brand’s signature feminine sex appeal, think again: Bendet’s idea of a librarian is one who wears embroidered denim pencil skirts, suede shorts, and semi-sheer dresses.
“Grandma-chic” is a term that's been thrown around quite a bit lately (Alessandro Michele’s influential designs for Gucci come to mind) and Bendet, too, used it at today’s walk-through—in this case, to describe a colorful crochet poncho. While it's easy to appreciate the quirkiness of the piece, it may prove a hard sell to some of Bendet’s customers, who are more accustomed to sexy separates and party dresses. Of course, Bendet included plenty of the latter—many of which continued with the heavy embroidery she introduced for Spring 2016. These, more than anything, proved yet again what a shrewd businesswoman Bendet is. Intuiting customers' desire for “buy now, wear now” pieces, Bendet employed an autumnal palette, but kept fabrics light. “It gets you excited for the new season,” she said. Yes, but without abandoning the season in which it is delivered: summer.
