You just can’t stop Lela Rose. Even at seven-and-a-half-months’ pregnant, the designer, dressed in a Calypso crinkle brown drawstring dress and Lanvin gold lamé flats, said she was delighted to be at PV. “It was really all about timing,” she admitted. “One more week and my doctor would not have let me come. But I’m glad it worked out. I could never miss this show.”
For the past nine years, Rose has been creating smart, yet playful collections, all of which are born from the fabric. “It’s always where an idea starts,” she said. “I would say a large percentage of my budget always goes there. I’m a fabric junkie.”
For the spring 2007 collection she just showed in New York, Rose presented easy frocks and charming separates in fabrics that were nearly all laundered — even the taffeta. The technique is something Rose said she will continue for fall. “I love experimenting with fabrics,” she said. “Sometimes you wash them and they fall apart, but it’s great to see how I can make them different.”
And just that was Rose’s goal at PV, which she attended along with one of her designers, Felicia Zivkovic. The duo was captivated by fabrics that brought something new to the table, such as one mill’s home-furnishings-inspired looks and another’s shimmering motifs.
Europ Marchini: Here, Rose said she loves the fact that this Como, Italy-based mill got its start in interiors. “I adore fabrics with larger-scale, nubbier textures, and the selections here are always great,” she said. And while home-furnishings-inspired fabrics may go in and out of fashion, Rose noted that they are a constant for her. “The home influence, especially when it comes to texture, is wonderful,” she explained. “And the thing I like about these types of fabric is that the back is just as exciting as the front.” She ended up selecting a few of Europ Marchini’s quilted-blanket looks that feature loads of stitch work, such as a fuzzy version in fuchsia made of acrylic, wool and silk. “The tactile quality of these are beautiful, and I imagine when I wash them, they’ll be even better,” she said.
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Compagnia della Seta: “There is always a surprise here,” Rose said of Compagnia della Seta, a mill now best known for its clip jacquards. The six-year-old firm used to specialize in silk, cotton and wool classics, but as customers began requesting more texture, the mill switched its focus. Today, Alessandra Taiana, the line’s designer, creates sturdy jacquards, particularly fils coupés, that are still airy in their waffle-like structure. Two of Rose’s picks here included a graphic navy-and-beige patchwork-like fabric with a metallic accent, as well as a crinkle gray silk. The latter, she said, is a basic for her line: “We don’t use flat fabrics — everything has to have some kind of texture.”
Mahlia: Rose’s face lit up when she stepped into the booth of Mahlia, a Paris-based mill that has produced many of Chanel’s famous tweeds. The designer said she uses at least two of its fabrics in her collections each season. “It’s expensive, but never overpriced,” Rose said. “Plus, they never have a problem with doing custom work.” And Mahlia’s use of specialty yarns, Rose said, is what really give the fabrics a savoir faire. “Not only are they unusual, but they are always combined in an unexpected way.” Rose chose more than two-dozen fabrics here to sample, many of which were sparkling looks. “Je like,” Rose quipped when she saw a textured dark-gray fabric with a touch of sheen. “It looks like it should be paired with something bulletproof.” Another of her picks at Mahlia was a red-and-gold jacquard. “I’m not crazy about the colors, but that’s what I like here — I can love a pattern, and they’ll let me pick my own colors.”