A.L.C.’s sweet spot has always been clothes that are throw-on-and-go easy, but still special—pieces that do the work for you, in other words. That was as true as ever for Fall ’17, which finds designer Andrea Lieberman searching for a balance between lushness—in terms of print, color, and texture—and utility. Opulence was the word she kept going back to. “I wanted to create some real depth with the colors and prints, but also be quite real with how women dress,” she said. Her customer, like many women, favors a high-low mix that doesn’t look too calculated: a statement fur with track pants, a dress with sneakers.
Lieberman isn’t the type to go full-on maximalist or encourage a too-literal trend, so the results for Fall were subtle: Her favorite track jacket was striped with mauve and red; a rich floral dress had a sporty cut-out in the back; a shearling jacket came in an “off” shade of lavender. They aren’t pictured here, but there were also some great khakis to dress down those fancier pieces; they came in a buttery washed twill and had a few different closures. One pair had a lace-up fly, while another had a higher rise with exposed snaps. They felt a little ‘90s skater and a little preppy, and Lieberman called them “denim alternatives.” After years of wearing jeans with everything (shirting, off-the-shoulder tops, velvet jackets), a lot of women are probably craving a pant that’s just as versatile, but a little different. “I think women are always looking for alternatives,” Lieberman said. “We look for new things we don’t have, things that feel new and fresh and speak to a different part of us.”
