admin Rosie Assoulin makes happy clothes. The designer is known for her exuberant use of color and whimsical proportions. Her most recent resort collection marked 10 years in business, and the contemplative and reflective mood she found herself in continued this season as well. “Spring, in all its abundance, is a reminder that we are here to grow. In a way, it’s a memento mori, urging us to savor the fertility of the season, with the knowledge of its impermanence. As it comes in, so it goes out, and we must enjoy and celebrate in the moment,” the show notes read. The models walked out to find their places on an assemblage of white blocks to the sound of Vivaldi’s “Spring,” and guests were offered slices of pizza and glasses of Assoulin’s Vivanterre wine as they took in the clothes. Assoulin’s joie de vivre is infectious and can bring a smile to even the most jaded Fashion Week attendee’s face.
“We just wanted to take a moment and sit down,” Assoulin said. “We love to do what we do. We wanted to bring optimism, color, hope, and a little bit of humor.” The clothes this season felt uniformly easy. While Assoulin has the ability to sculpt a complex gown, that wasn’t really the focus here. Instead, soft suiting in shades of pink and green, silk dresses with wildflower prints, and matching sets drew the eye. One trumpet skirt in kelly green was paired with a one-shoulder pink top tied at the waist in a knot, which balanced Assoulin’s eye for proportion and color with an “oh, this old thing?” attitude.
The designer clearly had fun making clothes out of horizontal strips of organza to create a mille-feuille effect. This technique was repeated in a deep brown crop top, a banana yellow midiskirt, a mini with a blue bodice and red skirt, and several rainbow dresses. They looked airy, effortless. Indeed, the best pieces of the collections were the ones that didn’t look like they were trying at all. That’s one of Assoulin’s great gifts: making something really spectacular look utterly breezy.
