Stacey Bendet’s Alice + Olivia collections and all-out presentations tend to start with a theme or story. Spring’s was a timely ode to Truman Capote’s Swans before the release of the hit new series, “Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans“; previous seasons intertwined the works of pop culture-centric, celebrated artists, which led to her fall inspiration: American artist Tom Wesselmann.
“He’s considered the ‘father of Pop art.’ After Basquiat and Keith Haring [collaborations], Wesselmann’s estate came to us and asked if we would do something,” Bendet said of the Alice + Olivia x Tom Wesselmann collaboration during a preview, noting the Fondation Louis Vuitton will be opening a retrospective exhibition dedicated to the artist later this year.
Inspired by the artist’s works across mediums — collage, painting, drawing, sculpture — Bendet dubbed her collection and matching presentation “Art Core,” to display the crossover of art and fashion.
The presentation moved from large-scale, highly decorated vignette to vignette, starting with Bendet’s own Pop Art-minded “Stace Face,” beaded and embellished onto a jacquard skirt; matching sweatshirt and two colorful, collaged and embellished looks within her abstract art supply set. The other rooms showcased the art of fashion (big fabric bow-adorned walls); AI (clouds and glitter); sculpture (a mossy gardenscape); floral (blown-up collection-printed walls); graffiti (by artist Dirt Cobain); photography (‘90s collage walls), and, of course, Wesselmann’s Americana Pop art.
The overall fashion vibe was a continuation of spring’s girlish ‘60s-influenced look (both Mod and elegant) with contemporary flare. Bendet checked all of her signature boxes with little tweedy and bouclé knit sets; a faux-fur “Twiggy vibe” coat; ladylike jackets galore (styled with novelty, embellished rock ‘n’ roll-y denim or new polished double-pleat trousers, and plenty of dressy capes, swing coats (ultra-fun in ombré sequins), party dresses and girly gowns with signature pearls, bows, sequins, crystals, Pop Art colors and florals. Her collaborative designs with Wasselmann’s “Limitless,” “Still Life” and “Natural Beauty” paintings came as colorful prints grounded on body-skimming black dresses that will certainly be a hit.
As always, there was something for everyone in a collection that ranged from bodysuits — as seen on model Brooks Baldwin with a voluminous tiered and bow-adorned floor-length skirt — to elegant ‘60s-minded slinky jersey gowns in monochrome shades.