Lyn Devon (Q3240)
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Lyn Devon is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Lyn Devon |
Lyn Devon is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
In the age of diffusion lines and fast-fashion collaborations, where designers are brands and celebrities in their own right,Lyn Devonis a breath of fresh air. Despite having been in business for 10 years (an accomplishment in and of itself) and enjoying a loyal customer base, Devon is far from a household name. And that’s just fine. She prefers to stay small, focusing on longtime private clients, whom she often hosts in her atelier, housed in a cozy Upper East Side town house. “It suits me,” she said during an appointment. “I like having a mom-and-pop vibe.”Devon’s design aesthetic—which she describes as elegant, put-together clothes her clients, who tend to fall between the ages of 35 and 65, can “throw on and then forget about”—is as quietly powerful as her business strategy. This season she took inspiration from origami and traditional Japanese dress to surprising, if subtle, effect. Paper-thin dresses and tunics were hand-painted by Japanese artist Ken-Ichi Takahashi with botanical and pastoral scenes, and the designer introduced a gorgeous pleated hakama pant in khaki and dusty pink. Most items in the collection were unlined, to emphasize a certain weightlessness and ease of dress. For Spring, Devon said, she thought the idea of “tying yourself in” felt romantic, and so several of her dresses and coats came with a long ropelike belt that could be left off or wrapped around the waist. “It gives the wearer some autonomy,” she noted. A washed silk coat—somewhere between a robe and a trench—was a prime example of Devon’s sweet spot, the kind of effortlessly chic piece women on either end of her core age spectrum will fall in love with.
9 September 2015
Lyn Devon's quiet Upper East Side studio seems far away from the fashion week fray. The designer, who just gave birth to her first child, a daughter, a few weeks ago, keeps a low profile while creating beautifully crafted luxury fare.Designing Fall, Devon kept coming back to a trope by the ever-pragmatic mother of American sportswear, Bonnie Cashin: Life is embellished enough, so your clothes don't have to be. "I was thinking about the best way to create a concise, dependable wardrobe for winter. Knits on knits. Coats on top. Constantly wearing this one silk pant that's great for day or night," Devon said during the presentation.Dependable, concise, constant—not exactly sound bites to tempt with, and yet even within those guidelines, the clothes were on point and anything but plain-Jane.Devon started with gray knit turtlenecks and long-sleeved dresses serving as base layers—like luxury long johns—for softly tailored cashmere day dresses in loden, persimmon, and gray. The idea was to have a woman'sentirewardrobe covered for day, night, work, cocktail, whatever. Extreme cold? Covered. Try three light cashmere layers with a base knit, an A-line dress in a silk botanical print (one of two motifs), and top it with any number of cape-like double-faced cashmere car coats in rich autumnal colors. These deeper hues played nicely off perkier pieces including a pink Ultrasuede skirt (Devon is leather- and fur-free) and a white coat that upon closer inspection had dark texture. That coat was one of Devon's favorites. "From far away it's just a winter white, but up close you see there's more going on," she said. A nice metaphor for her quiet position in the industry.
14 February 2015
Maybe it was last winter's Polar Vortex, but designers left and right are referencing balmy, sun-dappled destinations for Spring '15. Lyn Devon said she was thinking about her time in the Bahamas as a young girl, where glamorous women lounged poolside in maillots and heels—beehive hairstyles intact. "There was this flair and exuberance to the way they dressed," she said. "And Harbour Island is covered in pastels, which I didn't gravitate toward in the past. But all of a sudden they felt so fresh to me."Devon sweetened her signature '60s-inspired silhouettes this season with shades of buttercup yellow, turquoise, and petal pink, grounded with neutrals like charcoal and taupe. A whimsical pineapple-print pant looked jet set-ready but didn't immediately register as "beach attire," thanks to the modern cropped flare. Conversely, to mimic a pareo skirt, Devon added wrap-front details to simple cocktail frocks. A mid-calf halter featured twisted fabric around the neck, and strapless bustier dresses had swaths of crisp cotton taffeta tied around the waist. All in all, this was a cute update on the sharp swing coats, pencil skirts, and shift dresses Devon's customers are used to seeing.
5 September 2014
Why do some designers get all the love? Lyn Devon, who presents beautiful, desirable clothes season upon season, isn't a fashion darling, yet her work rarely disappoints.Fall was about voluminous yet wearable silhouettes. "Oversize in a realistic way," said Devon at an appointment in her Upper East Side showroom. Double-face wool with pintuck seaming—such a nice little detail—gave an eggplant cropped jacket done up with graphic plastic buttons a bit of shape. The designer said she wanted to provide her clients with options to "wear color in an approachable way," so she paired it with pleated trousers in fuchsia. A lofty cashmere turtleneck sweater in tomato red, also cropped at the waist, was worn with a pencil skirt in the same shade. "I always love monochrome," Devon said. And while there were fantastic options for those who feel the same—in particular, a modish turtleneck dress in camel hair or gray cashmere jersey—Devon also offered a couple of jazzy prints. One, a humorous cat in black and white, was clever in that it looked like a graphic flower from far away. But the red-poppies pattern that covered a collarless coat was buzzing. In fact, several clients placed pre-pre-orders last week after noticing it while picking up their Spring buys.An off-the-shoulder dress in darkest-green cashmere jersey provided a great cocktail-hour alternative, and the jumpsuit version in charcoal flannel was a new approach to eveningwear. Devon may continue to fly under the radar, but her clothes shouldn't be ignored.
11 February 2014
A pre-wedding honeymoon in the Sahara Desert and Marrakech was the starting point for newlywed Lyn Devon's Spring collection. "I don't travel a lot, so usually I'm imagining what a girlmightwant to wear in a faraway place," the designer said today in her Upper East Side studio. "This time I actually knew."For Devon, that meant dip-dyed chiffon, textured silk made to look like sand, and henna tattoos. The body appliqués were fashioned after local pottery and created in collaboration with tattoo artist Scott Campbell (who also happens to be married to Devon's dear friend, actress Lake Bell). All that African spirit was framed in classic 1960s silhouettes. A boxy cropped jacket featured hand-painted blue stripes, and that sand-y silk came in the form of a cropped shell and high-waisted pencil skirt. The batik-printed Fez pants—pleated, wide, and cropped—were worn with a matching top; it was a pajama set, elevated.But it was hard to call out a hero piece. That's because, season upon season, Devon creates a complete wardrobe for her imagined woman. The clothes may not be particularly editorial, but they are desirable: Devon's focus is on creating clothes women want to buy.
5 September 2013
John Denver's "Country Roads" played in the background at Lyn Devon's Upper East Side studio as she showed off a Fall 2013 collection inspired by upstate New York. The newly engaged Devon and her fiancé are looking at properties in the area; she used its rustic-intellectual feel to inform her clothes.The collection was designed as a complete wardrobe, starting with an easy gray sweatshirt (cropped and emblazoned with a burgundy script L, perfect for this writer) and ending with a menswear-inspired wool overcoat embellished with Bakelite and clay brooches. Lavender, a color that popped up in many collections last season, was used to good effect on a boiled-wool top and skirt, and also in the lining of a taupe overcoat. Styled with ever sensible loafers, each piece felt like a fancier version of something you might find in a New England attic: There was a seventies-style floral dress, a burgundy crew-neck cardigan, and a peachy corduroy mini shift. Everything was very wearable, which is Devon's real talent: creating luxurious, desirable clothes that work as well on socialites as they do on real girls."It's about the joy of being in the country, but still polished," said the designer. Navy velvet paper bag-waist trousers, paired with a delicate lace corset and topped off with an alpaca coat, synthesized the theme. As perfect as these pieces are for taking in the fall foliage, they'd work just as well in the city: It would be shame to relegate them to the country house.
7 February 2013
Simplicity is the rule at Lyn Devon, so this season's focus on handicraft and embellishment marked new territory for the designer, albeit territory not too far from home. (If embellishment calls to mind feathers and paillettes, think again.) Devon's take on surface treatment was understated and organic, from tiny, hand-knotted faille buds to hand-punched holes on the seams of a red skirt. The designer's desire for the wearer to be able to "see the hand in the clothing," as she put it at her new Upper East Side showroom, was an extension of thinking about taking her girl south of the border. Her interpretation of a traditional Mexican Otomi print was the most literal reference point, while bands of fringe in a nude, knit tank dress gave it a Latin kick. Reserved and a little staid, these aren't clothes you'll wear flamenco dancing. Then again, thoughtfully designed staples don't need a special occasion.
8 September 2012
The Lyn Devon girl is in love. Spurred by her imagination of what New York was like in the fifties, Devon designed a collection for a sophisticated uptown type falling for the city. A cozy, fuzzy angora coat in deep blue—"my version of fur," the designer said—was easy enough to wear with trousers and a tee. Dress it up for a date to dinner with any of the wool jersey dresses that left the shoulders bare and kissed the neck with a twist. Hand-painted, lilac-colored lovebirds were one of two great prints. The other was a repeated motif of roses—purposefully kitschy, Devon said, and perfectly charming, we'd add. The love story ends happily with Devon's heroine tying the knot at City Hall. She wears a snug white angora sweater for the occasion and a tea-length duchesse satin skirt, comfortably chic with pockets. Inspired by a bygone era when women dressed for the movies, Devon's clothes could have looked out of step. Instead, they felt fresh—just the thing, in fact, for stepping out in.
14 February 2012
In a serene W Hotel suite full of sunflowers in the middle of Times Square, Lyn Devon's urban-picnic-inspired collection felt apt. New Yorkers will take nature where they can get it, but they're more likely to be carrying an Anndra Neen clutch than a wicker basket when they find it. That clutch was one of a few pieces Devon made in collaboration with the jewelry designers. There was also a metallic basket-weave cuff, which picked up its pattern from the collection, and Devon framed a silk cotton basket-weave onto a shift dress in pale citron.Another tweaked picnic trope was the pair of jeans that, instead of being denim, were actually made of sky blue butter-soft leather. Dresses had side slits and cute shorts beneath—the answer to awkward alfresco lounging positions—and seams curved into the body for a bit of a sporty, swimwear feel. The result was playful, and even a little sexy, an element that's sometimes missing from Devon's clothes: Her girl is always demure, but come spring she'll be flirtatious, too. A swingy, silver lace shift dress lined with more of that citron shade was a standout, as was the to-the-floor gown version. Paired with Devon's "denim" jacket (another leather impostor), it would be best at a picnic that came with a maître d'.
9 September 2011
"I wanted to release the silhouette," Lyn Devon said at her presentation Thursday morning. "I wanted to give her some air." The sophisticated, perennially polished woman Devon designs for will have plenty of breathing room this fall: Waists are dropped, drawstrings abound, and comfort items, like a fawn-colored sweatshirt, come in soft suede.Devon may be taking it easy, but she designed these clothes with a specific itinerary in mind—an old-world jaunt on the Orient-Express (a trip that would surely require lots of luxe loungewear). There's not much that screams "Budapest" about these clothes, but the easy volume and splashes of bright color are in line with current trends and should play well in New York.
9 February 2011
"She's suited up and polished, but in a playful way." That's this season's girl, according to Lyn Devon. The playful part came through in the prints the designer used on blouses: playing cards or trompe l'oeil polka dots made out of shiny black pearls. In another twist, an acid green leather shift dress came with a floppy matching bow—a modern reworking of the classic girly accessory. Cropped wide-legged trousers added a welcome youthfulness to some of the collection's more staid looks (though there are plenty of customers who will appreciate a blouse buttoned all the way up or a well-cut to-the-knee dress in waffle chiffon). On the whole, Devon continued to explore the clean tailoring and versatile separates she's known for. Groundbreaking? Perhaps not. But it's a focus that hews nicely with the current retail yen for updated classics.
8 September 2010
The shows are just getting under way, but it's a safe bet that clean minimalism will be one of Fall's big stories. That's good news for Lyn Devon, who's been focusing on timeless, well-tailored separates for a while now. Her latest collection featured a cropped leather tee and skinny suede ankle pants—both very of-the-moment pieces—but when paired with, say, a long, belted cashmere vest or a wool sweater tied around the shoulders, the silhouettes evoked classic American sportswear more than the latest trend-driven offering. "This collection is not about anything fussy," the designer explained. "It's very straightforward." A black wool jacket with oversize pockets covered in acid yellow sequins felt unnecessarily busy, but on the whole, Devon's sharp designs should resonate well with buyers this season.
9 February 2010
Lyn Devon took a well-worn reference—Roman Holiday-era Audrey Hepburn—for her Americans Abroad collection, but she worked it with a light, fresh touch. Consciously or not, the mood read Geoffrey Beene. The American master's legacy of optimistic "optic play" could be traced in the pairing of a bias-skirted dress with a striped drawstring-waisted topper, and there was something balletic about the tea-length dresses. "There's romance in this collection that hasn't been there before," Devon explained.This designer's hardly interested in frilly femininity, though (a digital rose print on acid green had bite), and while she succeeded in softening things up for Spring, she did so without abandoning her trademark sporty elements or the tomboyish tailoring she introduced last Fall. In fact, Devon's toppers almost stole the show. How to choose between an organdy windowpane balmacaan, a smart waterproof poncho, or a classic rain slicker reworked in papery yellow leather? Take one of each. The economy will thank you.
8 September 2009
Lyn Devon has racked up a lot of kudos in a short amount of time, and this concise collection of American sportswear, presented by appointment at Antony Todd's boutique, demonstrated why. "In this economy I want to offer women something that makes them happy and shows that they are optimistic," said Devon, an alum of Brown University and Parsons the New School for Design. She offered iconic pieces like the shirtdress, boyfriend blazer, and bomber jacket in beautiful textured fabrics, some printed, all in seductive colors. Cocktail options included jersey-topped, full-skirted dance numbers (with a whiff of Claire McCardell about them) and corseted strapless dresses—some accessorized with Bliss Lau for Lyn Devon metal belts. A coat-dress made up of a blown-out houndstooth print embellished with heat-pressed Swarovski crystals was the single flashy piece; otherwise, this was a lineup of upbeat and spirited classics that looked like solid investments in any financial climate.
10 February 2009