Over the past few seasons, Lafayette 15 creative director Emily Smith has referenced paper and vintage mail, rooted in the past and present factory of the brand’s eponymous building and the former post office respectively as inspiration. In the fall 2023, she has her sights set on another building – the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library – but interestingly, she is again using paper products (aka books) as inspiration And the end.
“We started with the Brooklyn Library in our backyard, which we thought was really beautiful, especially with Toshiko Mori, who redesigned the building,” Smith said in the brand’s presentation room recalled. “The wood paneling, the books, they all spoke to us. From there we embarked on a journey to find a lesser-known female author from America.” Major works of American literature, only one of which was written by a woman (that would be Louisa May Alcott’s
Little Women ; Smith starred in one of the collection’s pieces, hiding quotes from her book in the back of a cream pleated and hand-embroidered knit gown.
Lafayette ‘s team has had free rein in the creative process, and this season inspiration finds its way into the clothes in an interesting way. The only print in the collection is a gold “fan” pattern on a black silk dress , which is actually an open book dipped in paint and used as a postage stamp. “It’s literally, but you can’t really tell,” Smith explained, smiling at the ingenious nature of her team. Elsewhere, a A slightly oversized tan car jacket that looks like a cable-knit sweater, but is actually a “cable jacquard.” “The original idea came from the sweater, and we thought, ‘Let’s make this a knit ,’” Smith adds. It’s paired with a white button-down shirt and baggy trousers for a vaguely preppy vibe. (The actual cable-knit sweater, embroidered with ribbons, is delicate and subtle.)
There was a subtly overall academic vibe to the entire collection, but Smith and her team never actually took it that literally—the closest they got was a wide cream V-neck sweater with contrasting pinstripes Ribbed throughout the waist, cuffs and collar.Lafayette’s 15 signature paper-thin leather glistens in long coats, stitched together with thick stitches (a nod to bookbinding), and in two The same slits play a starring role in a plain black shift dress with an A-line skirt; Open and free,” Smith said, following the line of the dress to the open skirt, “it’s our version of sexy.”
And their own version of sexy: a piece A coveted mid-calf tan coat in the softest shearling, a creamy curvilinear cashmere coat with a single-button fastening, over a knit skirt – with an inch or so of ribbed hem visible – draped over the shoulders A brown sweater with a rounded shape and soft texture also has a special style.
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