There’s no better time than the consumer-focused season of Pre-Fall to introduce a new concept aimed at customers. Lisa Perry is taking the opportunity to realign her eponymous label by adding lower price points and broadening the offering of separates. She went back to the easel when it came to aesthetics, only this time she was referencing the Bauhaus movement of the early 20th century rather than her beloved Pop Art 1960s.
“Bauhaus was about bringing modern design to the masses,” said Perry at her Upper East Side flagship store. “And that ties into what we’re trying to do. We are going into the contemporary space so we can share our world with more people.” Expanding her audience led to more experimentation designwise, especially on the cocktail frock front. Dresses were sleeker, and a patent leather double-breasted minidress added a new dash of sex appeal to the mix.
Elsewhere, white T-shirts stamped with a Bauhaus palette of primary colors and geometric shapes looked an easy, basic sell. A black washed-georgette mock turtleneck paid homage to Perry’s oft-cited ’60s, but with a cooler, more beatnik appeal. An unexpected sporty element made a welcome cameo in the form of slouchy, navy blue sweatpant-style trousers with green elastic cuffs and a yellow waistband. There was even an odd, mix-and-match element of high streetwear, seen in a tight taffy pink cashmere sweater emblazoned with hello on the front and goodbye on the back. Paired with loose-fitting black-and-white grid-pattern pants, it’s a look that might just make its way onto a new crop of downtown customers in the coming months.
