admin Tracy Reese always goes back to nature for her spring collections. Her brand is called Hope for Flowers, after all, so a permanent fixation on flora makes sense. Specifically, Reese was inspired by the Piet Oudolf garden in Detroit, which opened in 2021. Spanning three acres, it’s lush and green, dotted with purple, blue, and pink. The image of that garden was translated into an abstract, Monet-esque print Reese used liberally in her collection: on easy slip dresses, cardigans, sheer jackets, smocked shirts, and more.
There was a sprightliness to the spring collection. Reese experimented with flirtier styles via shorter hemlines, open backs, and cutouts (though not all at the same time). She also started to use a translucent Tencel fabric, which she found to be the best sustainable option after she couldn’t locate a certified organic sheer cotton. “But that’s about as sheer as it’s going to get,” she said with a laugh. It was put to work in a pantsuit with wide-leg trousers and oversize blazers. Reese is known for her prints, and in addition to the abstract floral, there were ombré stripes, a blue tile, snakeskin, and a rainbow stripe. Still, nothing was so precious you couldn’t wear it for a walk through one of Oudolf’s famous gardens.
