Stella Jean recently spent a month in Torconi, Peru, through a United Nations initiative, where she works with artisans who raise alpacas and wear wool. alpaqueras’ cholita doll embroidery appears on several pieces in her new fall collection. “This is the first time their products have entered the international market,” Jean said during a showroom appointment.
Since launching the label about a decade ago, Jean has been committed to what she calls “a multicultural intersection.” This season, she Call it “a mixture of the European bourgeoisie and the African bourgeoisie.” Mid-length Scottish kilt featuring the Italian word Amore. Jean described another look, “I like this look because it looks like Desperately Seeking Susan meets Jane Austen in Derry.” A printed top with bold shoulders and a trompe l’oeil lace collar is the perfect interpretation, paired with a wraparound jacquard skirt, cat-eye shades, ‘ heels, and shoulder dust earrings.
As always, mixing is the message here. Jean herself is wearing snorkels with a swaggery waxed cotton mac. But you don’t need to have her flair for whimsical details to pull off the look. Several of the pieces were user-friendly hybrids, the most useful of which were dresses that combined striped sweaters, shirt collars and cuffs, and pleated printed skirts.
