Based on the label’s name alone, it’s fair to expect florals in a Hope for Flowers collection, but they’re also a Tracy Reese specialty. Scroll through her eponymous brand over the years—though it actually predates Vogue Runway and Style.com, having launched in 1998—and there are roses, tulips, and peonies aplenty. If she knows her way around a pretty print, Reese is equally familiar with the subtleties of how women want to look and feel. Going into our third pandemic year (sorry to bring it up!), she reckons her clients are craving a little joy and optimism. The nearly-neon palette of chartreuse, magenta, and cobalt in this season’s lineup would all but necessitate a sunny outlook to match.
Reese photographed her models on a playground and with inflatable pool toys, mirroring her own desire to feel like a kid again. Her choice to style the dresses with rubber sport slides, not heels, also reflects how young women might wear them IRL. Most of the dresses came with adjustable ties and elastic waists; in soft organic cotton and linen, they had the wear-anywhere versatility we’ve come to expect in our clothes. A standout dress in vivid lime came with trailing, cape-like panels at the shoulders—cocktail-worthy, but cool—while other gowns had sultry cut-out backs.
Reese is happy to be making beautiful, wearable, mood-lifting clothes, but she’s as passionate about building Hope for Flowers into a sustainable and purpose-driven business. Since launching in 2019, she’s built a training program for craftspeople in Detroit, with the goal of one day being able to produce collections from start to finish in the city. Spring includes her first locally-made garments: a crisp halter dress with raw hand-placed lace appliqués around the skirt and shibori-dyed T-shirts in sheer organic-cotton mesh. Reese is vocal about Detroit’s potential as a creative hub—she once said that “anything I can do in New York, I can do in Detroit”—and with Hope for Flowers, she’s helping it become a destination for fashion, too.
