Lela Rose wrote the book on entertaining—literally. In 2015, she published a tome for Rizzoli called Prêt-à-Party: Great Ideas for Good Times and Creative Entertaining. In the past few years, editors have witnessed her talent for elegant yet unfussy decor, food, and cocktails IRL at her ready-to-wear and bridal presentations, staged at charming venues like La Sirena and the Union Square Pavilion. Yesterday, she chose the Elizabeth Street Garden, a tiny Nolita spot that’s at risk of being turned into a housing development. The sculpture garden is beloved by locals, and since one can’t legally close the park, passersby got to wander in and catch a glimpse of the gowns.
Rose filled a hollow cement block with ice and bottles of sweet tea, hired a jazz band, and had a Rose Bar where guests could arrange a bouquet to take home. The models’ simple, unequivocally pretty gowns completed the snapshot of a laid-back, classically American good time. The designer explained that she was looking at photos of her all-time favorite gowns from decades past, then considered how to rework them for 2018. For instance, the ivory jacquard used for many of the dresses had raised dots, a riff on a classic (probably too delicate) Swiss dot she loved. You have to zoom in to see it here, but the result was pearly and luminous. There were actual pearls along the edges of a long-sleeved gown, too, a signature detail she’s carried through a few collections. Rose was encouraging guests to get up close to the dresses and view them from every angle; many of them had a flattering scooped-out back or a bow-tied sash that you can’t see in these photos.
