There’s something to be said about a pragmatic approach to design. Ultimately, isn’t an eminently shoppable range of wardrobe staples more appealing than seasonal one-offs? Amy Smilovic understands consumer craving for quality practicality, often introducing design elements that are always approachable.
She had two design points in mind for resort: color and blended fabrics. “We thought a lot about color this season and how to work it in a way that’s sophisticated,” the designer said at her new showroom. The color palette consisted of playful hues of green, light pink, bright orange, yellow and red, to name a few. Her print for the season consisted of a striped pattern in heavy silk twill that brought the color story together, imposed on four mix-and-match styles.
Smilovic experimented with blended fibers, which, according to her, takes away some inherent preciousness and adds durability. A black Lycra-plated wool sweater with rounded-out shoulders was cinched in at the waist for a dramatic corseted look that retained a structured ease. Ditto for “gross sickly fabrics” — her team’s reference words — like the boiled angora of a baby blue skirt and sportswear fabrics done in chic track silhouettes. A balance of structure and draping was key to the collection’s outfitting success, which felt young, cool and approachable. Other playful standouts included color-blocked sleeves on dresses and tops; enviably comfortable viscose twill pink suiting, and colorful stretch corsets that serve as quirky styling elements to transform any outfit.
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As for her favorites, though hard to choose, Smilovic gravitates toward the ease of a simple muscle T-shirt with padded shoulders: “I’ll wear that every month of the year, I’ll travel with it, I’ll throw it around the room and it won’t get messed up. When we know that these things can be so lived in it makes me really happy when we figure it out.”