Sarah Staudinger deserves some R&R. The 30-year-old has been hustling hard over the last two years, carving a presence for her label Staud at New York Fashion Week and building the brand into a $20 million-plus business. As such, the designer went for a pre-fall 2020 theme that she described as “being horizontal.” Staudinger said that she’d been thinking a lot about the true essence of summer, which to her means lying flat on a beach chair or in the sand somewhere fabulous, doing a whole lot of nothing. The vibe encapsulates Staudinger’s chill persona. But she’s obviously not asleep at the wheel. When she speaks about her collections, she is excited, articulate, and eager to discuss what’s next for her brand.
Familiar Staud silhouettes, like big, billowy day-to-night dresses, were remixed with Hawaiian prints and hibiscus hues. “It’s the spirit of aloha,” Staudinger said, picking up an oversize shirtdress with a ruffled hemline and moving it through the air. She also showed cute minidresses and scarf halter tops. For the lower-key girl there was contrast stitch suiting and ’70s tunic top and matching trousers.
