When I arrived at Frederic Anderson’s Manhattan boutique and atelier, it was in the back room where his clothes are designed, sewn and fitted, and through the brand’s Pre-Fall 2025 offering Taking the final pass, before it was packed neatly into large duffels. These pieces soon departed for Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Anderson staged a destination show. The designer’s recent collections have celebrated African influences, and Puerto Rico came to mind when he was chatting with menswear designer Carlos Campos, discussing the island’s prominence as part of the African diaspora. “When you think about these collections,” Anderson said of the releases between spring and fall, “it’s either an evolution in or out of something. You’re not going to start a brand new theme. It’s really: how can I make this meaningful in my development.”
Picking up where Spring 2025 left off — a runway that ended with several black dresses — Fall 2025 is full of holiday-ready white dresses ahead: a crochet mini dress paired with an oversized cardigan; Midi lace pencil skirt with thigh-high slit. White ruffled pieces abound – the look worn to dance the Afro-Puerto Rican bomba. Traditionally made in cotton, “I made them in silk and organza, because that’s my customer,” Anderson said of the silhouette. An abstract print on draped silk dresses and separates calls to mind the splash of the ocean against a coastal cliff. “I like the brown and blue together,” Anderson said of the fabric. “There’s something very attractive about that combination.”
Much of the collection, Anderson said, is “a texture story,” marked by guipure mixed with taffeta and embroideries inspired by the Puerto Rican vines and flowers that line the walls of buildings. A shift dress with alternating lace and denim panels stands out among the casual ensembles, and Anderson’s fondness for ’70s silhouettes is seen in an asymmetric jumpsuit made in tie-dye.
“My customer is here because she wants something special – she’s not here because she wants what everyone else is wearing,” Anderson said of those who pass through her boutique’s doors. The final look of the show was created with this in mind: a dazzling chainmail dress – gold crystals on open mesh – with a cowl-neck halter and two side slits. Anderson fitted it into a dress and took a step back. “Isn’t this epic?” He commented.