Pamella Roland Pre-Fall 2024
After diving into Georgia O’Keeffe’s abstract flowers for resort, Pamella Roland moved toward bouquets of a more Baroque variety, pinning to this season’s mood board still lifes from the Dutch golden age.
Roland said she was particularly taken with the “darker moodiness” of Willem van Aelst, who emphasized realism over romanticism. He and his contemporaries distinguished themselves by casting half-wilted flowers in a sullen glow, often being picked at by butterflies, snails and other creepy-crawlies.
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Such beautiful imperfections don’t exist in Roland’s universe — rather, her selection of cocktail and evening attire comes neat-as-a-pin and well-finished. Still, she was able to capture a bit of the Dutchman’s play with composition through taffeta pickups and side-gathers, while her palette, which mingled soft orchid and champagne tones with emerald, ultramarine and hearty doses of black, was influenced by Aelst’s balance of light and shadow.
The most striking dress in the lineup was an all-black strapless mini with satin strips woven together creating a crosshatch pattern that framed tiny pearl strands. The simplicity of its silhouette was belied by the fact that it had boning and horse hair underneath to hold the bubble shape — a new experiment for Roland and one she should run with.
Flowers were rendered in 3D using a mix of silk, chiffon and tulle petal appliqués, though the technique felt gimmicky, scaling up the front of a similar black minidress or down the bodice of a ruched trumpet gown. Scarlet and burgundy roses printed on jacquard with metallic thread woven through were a more elegant interpretation, mimicking brushstrokes on a flirty A-line with a bow attachment and another trumpet-style — this one made backless with a ’90s straight neck.
These two exemplified the winter’s garden vibe Roland was after, but apparently stylists and buyers were more jazzed by the summertime options in billowy chiffon. Requests are already rolling in for the watercolor ombré goddess gown with braided trim.
Launch Gallery: Pamella Roland Pre-Fall 2024
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