Simply put, Mary Alice Haney designs clothes for women who want to look sexy. And on a big night out in Los Angeles, who doesn’t? Her specialties include cut-out minidresses, high-slit column gowns, and curve-hugging jumpsuits, but for Pre-Fall, she tried a softer kind of sexy: tiered ruffles and slinky jersey gowns, which skimmed over curves instead of sculpting them. She chalked it up to her own changing tastes, and many women like her are in the mood for those romantic, feminine flourishes.
The goal is still to look fantastic, of course. A one-shoulder silhouette or plunging neckline kept things firmly in Haney territory. Gold hardware has become a focus for Haney in recent seasons—something she has in common with her designer crush, Tom Ford—and several dresses came with a giant ring or a jewel-like plate of glass. She pulled up photos of her inspiration: Doug Aitken’s “Mirage,” a mirrored glass house in Palm Springs, California. Viewing it in real life, the house seems to disappear into the landscape; Haney’s charm was crystal-clear to show a flash of skin underneath.
