Lafayette 148 RTW Fall 2021
“The fall 2021 collection is really based around this idea of resetting, reimagining and restarting a fresh outlook,” the voice of Lafayette 148 creative director Emily Smith spoke over the opening scene of the brand’s fall collection runway film. “‘Normal’ really wasn’t working, that’s sort of why we are in this place right now. So, this idea of resetting is really about relooking at how we were, because we were working in such a disposable environment and something needed to change.”
Celebrating 25 years of business, in the midst of the pandemic, Smith wanted to reset and re-look at how the brand was not only producing collections, but also displaying them. Aesthetically, the line looks as beautiful as ever, displaying rich, sophisticated layers emboldened with saturated, vibrant colors balanced with earthy tones. Beyond the initial glance, the collection’s strength also stems from Smith’s sustainable push: a focus on quality over quantity through a tightly edited assortment, an increase in organic and sustainable materials — natural yarns, undyed noble fibers, fabrics spun from regenerated filaments, as well as repurposed archival fabrics. Even the runway film’s custom set design, featuring an artificial forest made up of collaged photographs of trees in Central Park, will be repurposed for Lafayette 148’s store windows when the collection hits in the fall.
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The look: Rich, luxurious layers full of styles that will stand the test of time.
Quote of note: “All told, the collection proves that luxury, sustainability and versatility can live in harmony, and offers a blueprint to build on for the next quarter century — both for women’s wardrobes and L148,” the collection notes read. “It’s such a disposable industry, and it shouldn’t be. If we do things thoughtfully, there’s so much more we can do,” Smith echoed.
Key looks: Boiled down into a tightly edited selection of 12 looks (out of the original 38), each tonally layered style truly proved as a key element to the overall collection. Standouts straddled masculine/feminine and hard/soft: an ultramarine trenchcoat with exaggerated arm holes; easy dresses and fluid skirts with a warped, cerebral print interpreted from photographs of nature; knit cashmere and wool layers — cardigans, turtlenecks, cable-knits, long scarves — worn with enveloping, luxe coats; Italian wool suiting in a fresh, monochromatic emerald; the brand’s new “Greenwich” coat made of mohair boucle, traceable yarn with quilted interior. Also a focused offering of leather boots; the brand’s new luxe leather, structured carry-all handbag.
The takeaway: Smith’s fall collection proved standout, in many ways, for the brand.
Launch Gallery: Lafayette 148 RTW Fall 2021
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