Andrea Lieberman has always been a designer who’s more interested in clothes than fashion. Rather than reinvent the wheel each season, her A.L.C. collections reflect what “feels right” in any given moment: a wider sleeve, a slightly longer collar, a narrower silhouette, or a lush color combination. As we near the end of lockdown, Lieberman focused on minor tweaks that made quite polished pieces feel as comfortable as sweats (though you happily won’t find sweatpants here).
There were jewel-toned ribbed-knit sets, styled together or broken apart with other separates, and the coats were almost un-tailored to feel more like blankets. Trousers had a new, relaxed sensibility thanks to hip-slung waistbands and pooling flares, a pivot from years of cropped, ultra-high army pants. The tight jeans of seasons past were replaced by an easy straight-leg style too. For those of us craving “going out” clothes, the soft jersey dresses and velvet cutout gowns might ease the transition from Zoom parties to real-life ones.
Lieberman is particular about color, and she still favors a palette of rich neutrals with pops of searing brights. An otherwise simple sweater and pants became desirable in a striking mix of crimson and caramel, for instance, and she made the case for retro shades of brown and orange from head to toe. A faux shearling came in a rich patchwork of chocolate, beige, and coffee, and Lieberman revealed it was entirely vegan; in fact, all of the shearlings were faux, including the sumptuous toggle coat that opened the look book. With outdoor dining extending into summer and fall (and maybe next winter too), it’s sure to be the collection’s hero piece.
