“We’re celebrating this year as a celebration of different arts and crafts,” Emily Smith of Lafayette 148 said at a recent appointment. “We wanted to focus on ceramics because we love seeing the parallels through our process; How things can go in and come out of the furnace and sometimes they are not what you expected – it is like a journey, which also gives you a sense of journey and adventure. References to ceramics were evident in a subtle glaze-inspired print that gave a light suit and a sheer slung-waist dress the effect of being washed with color; And peeling and cracking techniques were applied to their distinctive leather pieces. There were also exquisite ceramic necklaces created in collaboration with New York-based artist Yuna Hur, which will be available in a limited edition.
What really seemed to infuse the collection was a sense of travel — but as seen through a luxe, all-American ’90s lens: pleated Bermuda shorts worn with open knit tank tops. Look and top with a casual button-down shirt left open; Or a great minimalist tank dress and a wrinkled fabric used on a tank and A-line skirt combo. There were also “tech-y trench coats” and lots of easy cotton poplin pieces, including a great khaki dress with gathering at the shoulders and waist. Everything was made to be stuffed into a suitcase and worn in remote areas, where there was no iron or steamer in sight.
