The story behind Emily Adams Bode Aujla’s fall collection sounds like a spin-off of the documentary “Grey Gardens”: In 1976, a college student went to work for a 90-year-old lady called Ms. Long, who lived on a seaside estate and dressed in antique gowns to eat dinner alone at her formal dining table.
That student was Bode Aujla’s mother Janet, and her memories of the Crane estate inspired the coed lineup that the designer unveiled on the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet, marking her return to Paris Fashion Week after a three-year absence and the launch of her womenswear line.
Family heirlooms, of the textile variety, were faithfully copied in versions for women and men.
“They’re my most prized possessions,” Bode said in a preview, pulling a knit top off a rack. “This is my grandmother’s sweater that my mom wore throughout college, and then I have it, and so we did a historical reproduction of the kind of embroidery that was on it.”
The collection traversed decades, from a ringmaster coat with Edwardian-inspired braiding details to beaded flapper dresses and Woodstock-era fringed suede jackets.
The men’s looks were rooted in everyday dressing, with garments that promise to become as well-worn as the vintage pieces that inspired them, including corduroy suits, Fair Isle sweaters, patchwork coats and cardigans sprinkled with rhinestones.
For women, Bode went dressier with outfits that ranged from a 1940s-inspired scarlet velvet evening gown to a novelty Christmas tree dress — complete with matching pointy hat. Women already account for half the brand’s customers, despite the absence of dedicated options.
“For eveningwear specifically, it was very hard. Every woman that we dress for awards shows, they’re typically in a Bode suit and then we have to tailor it and it’s not how I would dress my ideal woman. I love a woman in a suit, but I needed to offer what my vision is in a more holistic way,” Bode Aujla said.
“The ‘20s dresses are something that I really wanted to begin to include in the collection as we launch women’s because they’re something that I collect and wear all the time and they’re so fragile,” she noted. “They’re over 100 years old so it’s really nice to be able to offer them so that we can enjoy them again.”
Bode Aujla’s skill lies in making her vintage-inspired pieces feel as covetable as thrift store finds. With their sparkly trims or naive details, her nostalgic cardigans were especially charming and will no doubt be treasured for generations to come.
