Derek Lam fell hard for the romance of Italy this summer, and he’s sharing the love in a pre-fall collection that pays homage to climate-imperiled Venice. The hero piece is a shirtdress with a specially commissioned postcard print of the famous city printed in black on a blue ground inspired by its surrounding waters. Gondolier stripes were abstracted into blouses and stretchy smocked pack-and-go dresses, which also came in pure white.
The collection’s prettiness (lantern sleeves, tucking details) was given ballast by the tailored pieces. More forward-thinking than the straightforward nautical items was a blue-and-white-checked suit with a metallic twinkle that recalled the sun flashes sparkling on water-filled Venetian canals.
