In asking Alessandra Rich for suggestions for TV series to binge watch, one must be braced for anything. Despite her fashion being strongly associated with the Ladies Who Lunch and royalty, as well as pop stars and today’s “It” girls — or better, IG girls — don’t expect Rich to be sitting with popcorn in hand relaxing in front of hit shows like “Succession,” “The White Lotus” or even “Friends” re-runs. Instead, she’d be immersed in darker, thrilling plots that help her “to really distract myself.”
So give her moments of shadow and she will be fine. Who knew?
With her resort collection, a lot of more people probably will. After showing plenty of seductiveness and a hint of rawness in her previous lineups, Rich expressed another facet of her unapologetic woman intertwining gothic — and often borderline fetish — elements to the prim polka-dot dresses with puffed shoulders and Peter-Pan collar the designer is known for.
The irreverent noir vibe was emphasized by a series of black laced gowns and catsuits, see-through mini frocks and second-skin tops referencing the world of lingerie, which indeed Rich debuted this season via bras and cheeky underwear.
Separates in leather, studded embellishments and punkish chain chokers added to the bad-girl attitude, which culminated in a fetish set matching a transparent latex bra with a zippered miniskirt. Hard to imagine the look in the streets, but it sold the narrative convincingly.
The fiercer pieces were alternated with Rich’s bread-and-butter, those crepe de chine dresses splashed with floral prints that never fail to look chic, in addition to frocks with pleated skirts and ruffled collars that were cut in different lengths and rendered in both shiny solids and delicate motifs. Pin-striped suits, varsity jackets and a couple of denim pieces here and there completed the collection, hinting that the Rich woman can do casual, too, but styled on her own (skin-showing) terms.
“She definitely feels comfortable in being undressed,” said Rich. “It’s an unconventional woman, which is a trait I found extremely attractive: to be unconventional in behavior and thoughts, resulting in being authentic in one’s beliefs. Here, we’re just exacerbating that with clothes.”
