After three seasons exploring the history of various buildings and landmarks in Lafayette 148, Emily Smith turns her attention to the great outdoors. “It’s a resort, but what we’re doing is more of a winter capsule,” she said during an appointment at the brand’s headquarters at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. “We wanted to focus on the idea of escapism, especially in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York—clearly New York is part of our DNA.”
The collection is definitely cozy Luxury. There are wrap coats and suiting pieces in extremely decadent camel hair. Knit tartan bouclé in shades of tan and white was used for a midi shift dress, paired with a no-nonsense white cotton button-down shirt and black sweater, and a handsome car coat. They’re all adults, like a deluxe version of a favorite blanket. This tactile Fair Isle sweater is crafted from a wool and cashmere-blend in tan, white and black tones and finished with additional embroidered accents for an edge on the classic silhouette. “The whole thing makes it kind of urban, makes it kind of New York City.” Adds Smith, laughing, “You know, there’s nothing creepier than when people go upstate and put on ‘country style. “
In fact, the entire color palette of the collection was pared down to shades of brown, beige, black and white, with a touch of cornflower blue, many of which are Obtained through experiments with natural dyes. “We use red cabbage—like the classic red cabbage you get at the grocery store—for this periwinkle blue,” she says, pointing to a thin leather shirt. “If you use it to dye paper, you get that color. We use avocado pits and acorns to get some of the beige and brown tones that you see. It’s a cool science that we did Experiment.”
A collection of black jacquard evening gowns featured silver floral embroidery that was actually woven into the fabric. A simple slip dress, with a cashmere sweater around the neckline and little leather slippers, was casually cool; on an oversized jacket and wide-leg pants, it looked like black tie and pajamas at the same time.
The vibe at Galeries Lafayette 148 evening is to just put it on and go, and still “look expensive”. But despite the talk of subtle luxury and minimalism, there were some highlights here, like metallic silver leather pieces of incredible weight and texture. “We spent a lot of time finding the perfect metallic leather with enough wrinkles—it wasn’t easy,” says Smith. The silver shock was inspired by the idea of a “Richard Serra or Anish Kapoor” sculpture, “something that is against nature and is man-made,” Smith said, citing Dia Beacon. ) and Storm King, both of which are northern destinations of type City.
