At this very moment, Alice + Olivia designer Stacey Bendet is feeling a bit all over the place. While showcasing her Pre-Fall 2017 collection, she admitted, “I’m having total schizophrenia lately when trying to figure out what to wear in the morning. I’m getting our Spring 2017 samples, and I want to wear everything now, but I know I can’t because it’s not in our stores yet—I used to not care before Instagram became such a passion of mine.” It was fitting she mentioned the photo-sharing platform, because her new lineup was inspired by images of a ’90s-era Kate Moss and an early-aughts Sienna Miller—“the girls in the green room,” she called them—bringing to mind Almost Famous’s Penny Lane in her Band Aid best.
Bendet’s iPhone-wielding groupies will fall for the ’70s-era split-leg jeans, crushed velvet tees and slip tanks, boho jackets with ribbon detailing, and a pretty silk floral-embroidered kimono inspired by a vintage number she unearthed during a trip to the pop-up A Current Affair. More typical Alice + Olivia standbys included Bendet’s body-hugging party dresses in black leather and ivory suede, and sweaters boasting punchy sayings like Life Is Beautiful. The designer was particularly proud of her debut line of wildly oversize eyewear, as well as shoes that included a crimson-color combat boot and a daintier flat slide decorated with a micro-floral print.
If there was anything that really stood out in this particular A+O collection, it was the wide swath of options. For customers of the see-now-buy-now ilk, the lacy blouses, easy tunics, and rompers in bright, painterly prints will be ripe for a purchase—and a timely social media snap—once the collection hits stores midsummer.
