Nili Lotan has a solid and healthy business. The Israeli-born designer has the right idea of what her clients are looking for. She’s insightful about proportions and trends, yes, but she’s also a natural businessman. Dating her collection is more than a walkthrough: models casually walk around the room for buyers and editors, while Lotan carefully dissects each of her pieces, all spread evenly across the shelves , she put them together to better showcase her vision.
For spring, Lotan based her vision on large, oversized silhouettes Tops; tops in particular, she says, because after years of designing, she knows her women don’t often “spend on tops and bottoms.” Nowhere is this more evident than in her effortless, clean tailoring, worn with matching trousers and an oversized cotton shirt or beige sequined skirt and Lotan’s signature body-hugging floor-to-ceiling silk slip. Lotan admits to being a trousers designer, but is increasingly leaning towards dresses. The novelty in the field this season is a collection of halterneck dresses and slip dresses, mostly in prints, one in leopard print and the other in chain links. These, along with Lotan’s very luxurious silk knits and beltless silk skirts, add a layer of character to her business basics collection. Ditto for the three popular colors she uses in her products: almost burnt orange, rich purple, and army green that elevate her lineup, allowing her seasonal novelties to shine between her core line and best-sellers. The most impactful piece in the collection is a khaki leather trench coat. Lightweight, oversized, and deliciously luxurious.
A lot has been written this week about what it’s like to commercialize New York Fashion Week, and often so true to say, someone like Lotan knows how to communicate with an audience Designers are valuable. “I have a direct connection with my clients because I have a retail store,” she says, and the collection proves that. After all, some fashionistas dream of a romantic gown in a whimsical lookbook or a gothic fantasy on an ominously lit runway, but others dream of the perfect jacket or a pretty slip dress.
