THE DESIGNER/CELEBRITY LOOKS ARE DESIGNED TO SELL, AND TO WEAR

There are some who have criticized Rachel Roy’s Fall 2012 collection for being too “safe”.  I say, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with showing clothes that you can actually see yourself wearing, and that’s what this collection is all about.  I’m not talking about sizes or skirt lengths, I’m just talking about looks that make sense.

Roy showed in a presentation at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, a great venue where the press and invited guests got to mingle with the designer and view her collection.  There were a lot of standouts here: slacks, skirts and dresses inspired by the great outdoors.  The mix of patterns and textures is what made it most interesting.  A leather skirt was paired with a chunky sweater, designed to look like a turtle-neck covered with a vest.  The prints in sweaters and dresses were earthy, the colors, mostly muted.

But there were brilliant pops of color as well, bright, rich blues, blocks of turquoise on a black sweater, a brilliantly blocked top over black trousers, a beautiful printed dress with a big cowl neck, and a bright red chunky sweater over a black swing skirt.

Another favorite of mine was a grey and purple striped dress that looked sharp and professional, but still feminine.  In fact, the suits and dresses in the collection just screamed “career girl”, without being boring or plain.

Outerwear was simple, yet perfectly constructed, from a cocoon-style coat in a grey and orange plaid to a tailored beige and black blocked car coat.

I also loved the flat-brimmed hats used with some looks, enough to make me wish I was a hat person.

Rachel Roy is obviously more than a designer.  She’s a television personality, fashion reality show judge, and she’s fast becoming one of the more recognizable faces in fashion, and rightly so.  She’s gorgeous enough for television, and her clothes reflect her look and personality perfectly.

Photography: Anton Brookes