To Adam Lippes, atmosphere and mood matter. There was nothing Fashion Week-frenetic about a visit to his townhouse to see his spring collection, where models mixed with mannequins and visitors were treated to petite sandwiches, live music and his three lovely labradoodles. The collection? Movement and lightness are important to the designer, whose palette and prints were inspired by Agnes Martin, as in a pleated asymmetric silk dress in an abstract pattern over linen pants, artist’s smocks with tied backs, a bleached denim dress and a navy twill jumpsuit.
Nina Simone also influenced Lippes, if in a somewhat less obvious way than Martin. He loves Simone’s sensual style and it was reflected in the sexy sway of his fabrics, which included wool crepe pants with chiffon panels and a gold lamé silk dress. Specifically, though not literally, he reinvented the knits Simone wore into his own version via a white second-skin macramé jumpsuit and tank dress. While superbly crafted, these clothes lacked the grace seen throughout most of his lineup.
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A few of Lippes’ mixes were so elegantly random that, rather than appearing designed, the pieces might have been pulled together and worn by a customer with great taste and confidence. For example, the rust satin slipdress overlayed with black Chantilly lace under a navy cashmere sweater, the gray wide-sleeved knit pullover teamed with gold silk lamé pleated pants, or the blue and white cotton shirt over beige canvas linen track pants. All of these and more stayed true to Lippes’ mantra: “I don’t want the clothes to wear the woman.”