Mary Alice Haney was a fashion editor and celebrity stylist before she launched her dress label in 2013, but her very first job was as Polly Mellen’s assistant. The legendary stylist told Haney all about Veruschka, with whom she worked on a notoriously expensive, five-week-long Vogue shoot in Japan in 1966. Needless to say, Haney learned a lot about fashion, art, and everything in between from Mellen—so when she stumbled upon a Franco Rubartelli photo of Veruschka in the desert, she felt a rush of nostalgia.
In the photo, the model is kneeling in the sand wearing a sheer, gold-striped caftan and a crown of braids. She looks like a mythical goddess; to Haney, it reinforced the idea that sensuality doesn’t have to mean showing a lot of skin. Haney’s signature gown is a long-sleeved, stretch-crepe style with a thigh-high slit; it’s undeniably sexy, but still covered. For Resort 2019, she introduced a new iteration with light shoulder pads and pink crystals embroidered at the hip. Elsewhere, she balanced a flocked-velvet minidress with a prim mock neck, and also tried her hand at the high-rise, wide-leg trouser silhouette that’s popular at the moment. Daywear isn’t really her thing, but the ivory pants will resonate with both Haney regulars and the women who’ve never shopped with her. The dress-averse might wear the pants to a holiday party, while an L.A. girl would simply throw them on with a T-shirt.
On an opposite note, Haney also debuted one of her fanciest, most red carpet–worthy pieces ever: a sparkling black gown with a plunging neckline and voluminous tulle skirt. You’ll probably see it on a celebrity when awards season picks up, but Haney already knows who will wear it first: her daughter, who chose it for her senior prom.
