Last season, Norma Kamali focused on the idea of a wardrobe refresh. With fall, she continued with the “complete package” but in autumnal hues — chocolate brown, military green, sand and wood brown as well as timeless prints; “bb” leopard; camouflage, and glen plaid.
“It’s about having a wardrobe that you can get a lot of use out of no matter what else is happening. If you had 12 pieces, including a sleeping bag coat, what would they be? I think it’s probably the most commercial collection. I know that probably sounds like a bad thing, but I’m actually proud of it because I think it’s beautiful and also salable,” Kamali said.
Through the collections, wardrobe staples meant a great jacket, classic shirt, skirt, pant and two dresses (one for occasions, a second for day). Kamali offered plenty of options for her wide variety of customers and layered them up with full-body turtleneck catsuits and quilted or sleeping bag layers. For instance, a strong military vegan leather oversize moto jacket or mannish trench with leggings and a classic white shirt; new Diana pickleball and fluid slipdresses of varying lengths; mini and maxi flared shirtdresses, and easy pleated skirts with tailored jackets. Kamali’s sleeping bag coats are timeless and were a big talking point following Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance, where internet speculation questioned whether the artist’s look was an homage to the late André Leon Talley donning Kamali’s well-known red jacket, which is currently up for auction at Christies New York.
To further emphasize the point, Kamali noted that starting with pre-fall, the brand will begin to sell packaged staples (like a jacket, pants and shirt) for a better price.
“If you can order something all together and get it shipped all at the same time, the warehouse has an easier job and from a production point of view, it’s easier. I know everyone’s raising their prices but we’re not, in fact, we’re even reducing some. By making this function better, it’s not only better for the warehouse, shipping and production, but also the customer,” she said.
