When one thinks of the renowned French New Wave film director Éric Rohmer, visuals of pleasant beaches, nonchalant lounging, and the distinct hues of golden hour populate the mind. Stills from his films make the perfect summer into fall mood board.
Rohmer’s 1970 movie Claire’s Knee inspired this season’s early deliveries at Derek Lam 10 Crosby. It translated into relaxed summer dresses and separates in a range of wallpaper floral prints, setting the tone for easy-chic styling with a hint of nostalgia. Most evocative of this enchanting, end-of-summer vibe was the remarkably soft to the touch light-wash denim—a growing business at 10 Crosby—paired with pretty knit tees and dainty tweed jackets.
The later deliveries, which lived up to their “pre-fall” denomination with earthy neutrals and soft shades of lavender and green, took their cues from Rohmer’s 1998 Autumn Tale. Most special in this section were tailored separates with tonal crochet details, though the pleated dresses in printed and monochrome fabrics will appeal to original Derek Lam customers. By leaning into easy-to-style separates like an embroidered white tweed jacket, or summer go-to’s including jeans and airy dresses, the label’s vice president of design Shawn Reddy is finding success in delivering what he describes as a “pre-styled” wardrobe.
The people populating Rohmer’s films were often younglings in their twenties. While this collection captures their youthful, romantic vibes, the individual pieces are grown-up enough to cross over from summer vacation-wear to the everyday lives of urban dwellers.
