“Stealth wealth” may be all the rage in fashion currently, but for pre-fall, Apiece Apart designers Laura Cramer and Starr Hout were feeling both bold and colorful. “It’s the first time we’ve really done daring brights,” said Hout, pointing to one of her delicious, hand-washed habitai shirts in an eye-popping fuchsia.
It’s not the only uplifting hue in the duo’s new collection. From robin’s egg blue to key lime green, the pair experimented with incorporating sugary shades into their assortment of easy, wearable pieces. Turns out, the color palette had much to do with one of their seasonal inspirations: the work of Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo. “He does a lot of tile juxtapositions, in really bright colors,” said Hout. “It felt so right; we love the idea of colors as medicine.”
A recent trip to Mexico City also played a part in their new collection’s upbeat feel. “We’re always drawn to brutalist forms in a feminine color, and those two things really come together in Mexico City,” said Cramer. It resulted in pieces like a sharp-shaped lilac sundress, cinched with a wrap-tied waist. “We wanted to make her feel like she’s in a sarong, but she can walk in the city streets in it,” said Hout. A striped crochet tank dress, meanwhile, felt Ibiza-ready.
Summer suiting also made a cameo: Blazers were done in timeless cream or terracotta, in a lightweight linen-cotton blend. “Summer suiting is something we really believe in,” said Hout. “Our women want it, and it’s selling out over and over again.” They also offered classic LBDs, like a strapless linen version settled overtop a classic white tee. “We love a black dress in the heat,” she added. That one’s for the New Yorkers.
