While mini hemlines, sheer textiles, and crop tops are sweeping the spring 2023 runways, Tracy Reese at Hope for Flowers is in a more chaste mood. Her previous collection showed several silhouettes with peekaboo midriffs, but after some reflection, Reese is saying goodbye to all that (for now). “When I really looked at what was selling, it was more modest,” Reese says. “I want to be about creating clothes that people love and will wear over and over again. I don’t want to get too caught up in trends. Part of working more responsibly is making sure I’m making things you want to wear four or five years from now. I never want to lose sight of that.”
As Reese explains, her core customer base comes to her for luncheon and cocktail party-ready blouses and dresses, and spring 2023 offers many of these classics in a range of patterns and fabrics. The silhouettes—primarily of the trapeze, wrap, and slip variety—are closet workhorses, but with specialness in the details such as cutout embroidery or patchwork prints. The closest thing to a bang-on trend are the wide-leg pants with cargo pockets, but they’re pared back enough that hopefully the customer will want to keep them when the pendulum swings back towards tapered styles.
