Inspired by the uptick of entertaining at home and garden-set events, Reem Acra’s latest “Magic Garden” collection was designed to offer optimistic, playful fashions for her variety of customers through the summer months.
“You still have a touch of the old glamour that’s ongoing,” she said of pre-fall’s two gilded numbers, “as well as diverse minidresses. We have a variety of clients — it’s not just this [traditional glamour] lady, but also the girl who wants to wear the mini and is price-conscious. We try to think about all the clients — the one who wants the glitter, the one who wants simplicity.
“And this is the new surprise, but we don’t want to talk much about it because it’s the first development,” she explained, touching on the collection’s debut embellished white viscose knit frock with subtle tulle inserts (which was not included within the season’s look book, as the designer was just dipping her toes into the category for pre-fall, and will be expanding upon it next season).
Pre-fall — which offered something for everyone in a range of roomy caftans, sweeping evening gowns and sleek cocktail dresses — was described by Acra as “floral, happy and casual.” While there were certainly less embellishments per look than seen in previous collections (i.e. an elegant, simple white mikado gown with floral motif cutouts across its bishop sleeves), the designer still offered plenty of shimmer à la whimsical accents. For instance, handmade 3D floral appliqués, jewelry-like embellishments, embroidered bugs (butterflies, bees, dragonflies) and floral enamel hair accessories across a variety of silhouettes in an array of bright hues.
