Reem Acra is switching up her glamorous, megawatt red carpet vibe. The designer is known for her Hollywood-ready, body-clinging gowns, but for Pre-Fall she explored looser silhouettes. The biggest change was the introduction of XXL, puffed sleeves. Acra explained that she wanted to bring the peasant look into a couture-type realm. The hanger didn’t do those sleeves justice, but they looked stellar on the model. With its high Edwardian-style collar and billowing sleeves, a blush-hue, delicately embroidered dress looked fit for a fairy tale.
Another subtle shift came in the fabrics that Acra used. Typically, we see a lot of chiffon here, but this season she liked the look of velvet, which she worked into a standout, off-the-shoulder dusty pink gown prettily decorated with a matching rose. Elsewhere, Acra showed a beautiful rust-orange sleeveless evening dress with an attached caftan-cape that was both elegant and pared-back. Those pieces dazzled even without the designer’s typical gem-encrusted touch.
