BRINGING ROMANCE TO THE RUNWAY

The first thing you notice when you walk into the room is the flowers, on the seats, hanging from the ceiling, flowers everywhere, and a bright, pink glow. Yes, flowers are the international symbol for Spring, but for Lela Rose, they are also “a stage for the exploration of infinite color variations”.

She is, for me, the designer most closely associated with romance, and Spring is her season. Flowers could become an easy go-to for the season, but in the hands of Lela Rose, flowers were more of a jumping off point for an exploration of the beauty in a natural landscape.

Her color palette certainly supported this: coral, shell, citrine, posy and rose gold giving way to the brightest fluorescent yellow, poppy-on-white and the occasional metallic. Fabrics helped create the feel, with gazar, corded lace and tweed, organza and cotton, as did the soft and flowing textures (including a lighter-than-air fringe and an almost 3-D polka dot effect) and whimsical embellishments.

There were so many memorable pieces in this collection. Sparkling flowers decorated a little black dress, a simple shift and a very dressy banded top over a pink jacquard skirt, a beautifully crocheted shell skirt and top, a black eyelet lace short and top, a silver metallic stamped voile gown, a fluorescent orange striped tweed v-neck dress.

But my favorites were the softly embellished pieces, like an organza jumper with hand cut flowers, a citrine gown with the same floral design, and the final piece, a shell halter gown, again with those hand-cut flowers.

Lela Rose clearly has a vision. She knows who she is, she knows who her customer is, a woman who’s serious about her clothes, but never forgets her feminine side. And there’s nothing wrong with dressing with a little romance in mind.

© Red Stiletto Media 2015                                                           Photography: Anton Brookes