Milly (Q3388)
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New York-based fashion company
- Milly NY, MIlly by Michelle
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Milly |
New York-based fashion company |
|
Statements
This season’s Milly collection was titled Metamorphosis. According to designer Michelle Smith, it was about “embracing stages in life and being vibrant.” Words aside, the clothes had a refreshing cool factor that wasn’t there in previous seasons. Suiting was slouchy and artfully oversize, such as a white pantsuit with an elongated jacket that skimmed the upper thigh. (A nice touch was the bubblegum pink windbreaker tied around the waist, which created a nipped silhouette and added color.) The collection had more of a welcomed sporty element, as well. Mesh was used throughout. Sometimes it was too much, like as an overlay on top of a logo sweatshirt that read “Ha, ha” from top to bottom. It was better when it was more subtly applied—see the jersey stripe panel in a pair of slouchy pink trousers. The best example of an athletic infusion was a royal blue tech hoodie worn with wide-leg optic white pants with rainbow jersey stripes. While these looks weren’t synonymous with the glitzy dress-wearing showgoers in attendance, they were a good new direction for the label.Still, the collection wasn’t a complete departure from the fun-loving Milly ethos. Fans will like the strappy tent dresses—they were nothing out of the ordinary, but they were polished. Many were inviting and bright, like an airy incarnation that included a tangerine-hued layered dress on top of a fuchsia one. Nonetheless, the pant numbers were the strongest. Sure, die-hard Milly fans may not scoop up the crinkly white overalls with the embedded belt, but they should at least consider it. Like most of the new elements here, it was a good look.
7 September 2018
Michelle Smith is having a big year. She dressed former First Lady Michelle Obama for a painting by artist Amy Sherald which was unveiled at the National Portrait Galleryback in February, and there’s no doubt she has carried that excitement into her Resort collection. She used pink as a jumping-off point, noting that: “It’s about me feeling emotionally happy and confident and wanting women to feel that way. These vibrant pinks excite people and make them feel good.”The cheerful hue came through in tailored, business-minded statement pieces like fuchsia- and salmon-hued blazers, which boasted decorative pizazz in the form of “Milly” spelled out in mirror letters and a funky flower corsage. There was also a pale pink windowpane-print trouser and jacket set.It wasn’t all office-ready polish here, though. Smith has long had a way of whipping up sexy pieces that show just enough skin. Take for instance the micro-top with criss-cross cut-outs that was worn under a luxe anorak, or the white macramé cardigan that was styled with a bikini, but, as Smith noted, could just as easily have worked with jeans and a T-shirt. A hit that touched on points both casual and elevated? A pencil skirt featuring an abstractMprint styled with a black muscle T-shirt. Maybe it’s another thing Mrs. Obama, who has always loved showing off her arms, can wear from the label in the future.
5 June 2018
Michelle Smith of Milly always employs a unifying theme in her collections, like empowerment among women during post-election disarray. For Fall, Smith used the idea of chromatic dressing—which would ultimately play out as the colors of the rainbow—to speak about inclusiveness, individuality, and coming together. “The world is so polarized that I want people to feel welcome to my brand,” said Smith before her show. Brighter, happier colors made an impact here, on pieces like an aquamarine shag coat and a cushy burgundy puffer with a striking violet lining. While a sunny yellow coat was a head turner, a long, knee-grazing, boxy mustard coat was not the most appetizing of colors for this ROYGBIV mash-up. (A camel version of the piece worked better.)Shine played an uplifting part. A skirt made of large multicolored sequins was fit for a Kirakira filter and plenty of Instagram likes. The high-waisted, semi-sheer red pants were cool in theory, but unless they are layered over or underneath something, the wearer will have to go the bold route and allow their underwear to be visible. (Or perhaps they could wear the see-through piece over a pair of the silver sequin tights.) Maybe it doesn’t have a place in the typical rainbow, but the long tunic sweater that was reminiscent of steel wool added some welcome texture to the lineup.
9 February 2018
Last season’s Milly collection was titled “Fractured,” and with it, creative director Michelle Smith translated post-election disarray, as well as hope, through a bevy of cool shirting pieces. Like many designers, Smith has since segued from the initial post-election shock and now has her sights on optimism. Her version? Embracing femininity. (And why not? Women’s rights are under attack, so why not celebrate the happier aspects of being a woman?) Midriff was a theme here. Always one for shirting, there was a pert cropped white button-down that hit just below the breastbone and had added ties around the sleeves. The top was accompanied by an equally cool pair of trousers—off-white and slouchy with a crinkled waistband. Like last season, Smith did a reverse button-up shirt with a spine-grazing diagonal placket and peasant sleeves for a standout voluminous look.Smith cited wildflowers as an inspiration, and to evoke a sensual attitude, many of the skirts somewhat bloomed forward in layers for a petal effect. Some pieces, like a sheer sleeveless button-up top and a tiered skirt set, were a bit fussy. But in a similar silhouette, this time as a long-sleeved top and in a solid olive woven burlap-type material, the look appeared bold, strong, and sexy—an effect that Smith was going for all along.
8 September 2017
Many in the fashion industry have been feeling somber about the current state of politics and the world, and have been trying to find positive responses. In reaction to the threat of defunding Planned Parenthood, the CFDA has produced pink pins that read, “Fashion Stands With Planned Parenthood,” and on the Calvin Klein Collection runway today, there was a bit of positivity in anAmerican flag skirt.Millyfounder and creative director Michelle Smith also knows these despondent yet push-forward emotions all too well: “Fractured” was the title of her Fall 2017 collection. “It is how I have been feeling post-election,” said Smith. “Especially as a woman, I was feeling defeated.” Though despite feeling disappointment, “Fractured” was also about Smith projecting strength.Though the undertone of the clothing was dark (rips and cuts to symbolize, well, a fractured society), many of the pieces were catchy, like the cropped turtleneck with shoulder cut-outs. Menswear was a theme, too, and was also deconstructed: The reversible men’s button downs were asymmetrically cut and banded around the body for a figure-cinching but polished effect. There was a feeling of strength in a slouchy pantsuit: It had that classic concrete jungle appeal, reminiscent of Donna Karan’s minimalist power woman in the early ’90s.Hope was there as well, sparkling in a silver paillette slip dress that made its way from under a torn mohair black sweater, or was embodied in a glimmering bronze dress that shot out from under an ivory fisherman cable sweater that had a lone swath of fabric hanging down towards the thigh. The juxtaposition between the glittering and distressed clothes seemed to relate to a line in Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes acceptance speech earlier this year when she spoke about President Donald Trump’s controversial decisions: “As my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia, said to me once: ‘Take your broken heart, make it into art,’ ” said Streep. With a tear here and a bit a of glint there, Smith seemed to take those words into consideration.
10 February 2017
Ever since Marie Kondo’s bookThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Upbecame a cult phenomenon, women have been purging their closets and dreaming of an edited, streamlined wardrobe (according to Kondo, you should only hold on to pieces that “bring you joy”). The downside, of course, is that you might get rid of something and regret it a few seasons later—because everything always comes back! That’s one reason designers often revisit their archives for inspiration—or, in Michelle Smith’s case, to reissue an old favorite. The best pants in her Milly Pre-Fall lineup were also the first ones she ever designed: They come in gray suiting fabric, sit just above the hips (is mid-rise back?), and hang straight down. “They just feel right,” Smith said. Perhaps that’s because they’re a little boyish, but still sexy, or because we’ve spent the past few years in high-waisted jeans. Pants that don’t dig into your rib cage might just qualify as joyful come next June.Smith’s intuition served her well elsewhere in the collection, too, like the sleek cocktail separates that could be broken up or worn together as an LBD alternative. Open-back details have proven successful for Milly in the past, like the crisscrossing straps on a jumpsuit or a nearly backless silk cady blouse. The back isn’t exactly a new erogenous zone, but Smith’s interpretation of the trend felt more grown-up than those of a lot of her contemporary peers. That said, she also banked heavily on the deconstructed shirting trend, which has trickled down to every level of retail; a slashed poplin shirt feels a bit formulaic with track pants but was more successful layered under a gunmetal sequined slip dress.
12 December 2016
Today atMilly, guests were Instagramming the back of looks as much as the front. Designer Michelle Smith would be happy to know that; it was her goal all along. The back details were key to injecting a bit of sensuality into a collection that focused on pure fabrics, like cotton and silk. The array of straps was what Smith referred to backstage as “almost hidden secrets for the wearer.” Intentionally or not, they were noticeable to the public. A slinky cobalt dress seemed classic and simple from the front, but a low-dipping cut and crisscrossing ties on the back gave it a dose of sexy. Two angel-sleeve tops looked deceptively innocent at first, but the straps across the spine gave them an elevated, alluring flare. At times the oversize bows may have seemed a little much (a busy crop top had them cinched at the bicep and as a shoulder strap), but they made for a flattering waist effect when stacked at the bodice of an emerald cocktail dress.Though the tie, strap, and bow adornments were nice, what brought the collection together were the deliberate cutouts. The men’s shirts in both verdant green and lavender-blue were smartly slashed at the shoulders and knotted at the cuffs, as well as subtly cinched at the waist, giving the structured look a subtle feminine silhouette. A standout was a black blouse that took on a sporty and sexy air thanks to its scooping high crop. It was Insta-worthy from every angle.
10 September 2016
Michelle Smithis an expert in off-the-shoulder tops at this point. The collarbone-baring poplin shirts in her Spring ’16 Milly collection are already sold out at numerous stores, and she kept up the trend for Fall with fringy cocktail frocks that hung low on the biceps. When you’ve got a good thing going, why fight it? The trend doesn’t seem to be on its way out yet either; we’ve already seen lots of bare shoulders at Resort, and the season is just getting started.This time around, Smith took her off-the-shoulder tops and dresses in a bolder direction with prints inspired by Ellsworth Kelly. Splashes of turquoise and bubblegum pink will feel like a shock to the system when the maxi skirts and ruffled tops arrive in November—and that’s exactly Smith’s intention. “These pieces can be takeaway for vacation, but they’d also add a pop of color for winter,” she explained. Vibrant colors have been showing up in other collections, too. Smith’s navy-and-blush floral trench would be particularly tempting on a gray morning, but without any lining or insulation, it would likely need to be reserved for above-freezing days. The other statement outerwear was similarly lightweight. A graphic coat looked cool with jeans and a turtleneck in theory, but if it doesn’t actually keep you warm, it might sit in the back of your closet.
9 June 2016
Michelle Smith typically looks to current events as inspiration for her clothes. For Milly’s Pre-Fall collection, she used the headlines about women coming forward against high-profile sexual predators and themed the season around the style of matadors. The idea came to her as she was sketching and watching the news, eventually drawing similarities between bullfighters and women. “You are seeing the matadors gored by the bull in some of the pictures, and that is the fear that these women are living with,” Smith said.As troubling as the starting point was, Smith’s final product worked elegantly. Skirts and pants all had an extremely high waist, and the whittled silhouette was further emphasized by either a voluminous top or jacket or a ruffled skirt hem. A teeny black silk bolero jacket boasted a bold, pumped-up shoulder, and it was paired with a curve-hugging polka dot skirt with tiers of ruffles at the bottom, a combination that gave the body an exaggerated hourglass figure.Shirting followed this body-skimming, I-am-woman-hear-me-roar look. A button-down shimmied below the shoulders for a sexy yet polished effect, while a red blouse with lingerie-style buttons down the front was more sensual and evening-ready. While some looks seemed a bit costume-like, such as the crisscross top, a cropped peasant blouse with charming embroidery was statement making but pared back.
19 December 2017
Like many industry figures,Milly’s Michelle Smith has found herself in a quiet, contemplative mood amid all the political chaos. “It’s such a weird, unstable time we’re in right now,” she said. “Flashy feels really wrong to me.” Where Fall 2017 saw her translate those feelings into a “fractured” collection of slashed knits and slips, the designer found herself gravitating toward easy, comfortable pieces this season.There was a pretty series of white cotton lace items, ranging from a blouse with a simple Victoriana ruffle running along the collar to a sporty pair of overalls. “I’m just craving some white moments right now to cleanse my palate,” Smith said. Elsewhere, she appeared to revisit several motifs from Fall: a floral appliquéd frock with an asymmetrical hem and a billowing shirtdress worn backward and off the shoulder, here stamped with the print of a girl lost at sea. Of particular note, she explained, was her continued exploration of the “fractured shirt,” a long-collared piece whose bottom half can be unbuttoned to varying degrees or detached completely. Smith put forward a second striped version and a matte satin trenchcoat that’s unexpectedly waterproof—a smart fabrication for messy times.
9 June 2017
On a day when editors came wrapped to the gills in scarves, fur coats, gloves, and hats, theMillyFall 2016 show made a case for taking it all off—freezing temperatures be damned. Designer Michelle Smith said backstage that while conceiving of the collection she was thinking about how “in winter as women, we tend to cover ourselves up and conceal our femininity.” She decided to challenge that instinct with her latest outing, which she called The Intimacy of Winter.“I wanted to really reveal that femininity and show it in an exciting way,” Smith said. She didn’t hold back: A number of coats were worn open, to reveal a bra and high-waisted panties—and nothing more—beneath. There were, however, plenty of options for the less exhibitionist (and warm-blooded): She cleverly winterized her theme by styling a handful of bras, in blush pink and powder blue, outside of matching sweaters. These—like a blush bra worn over a matching sweater and paired with an orange coat that was lined in silky blush—made a quirky statement on the runway, but taken apart, were completely practical.Fabric is always important to Smith, and she has a talent for designing unique textiles. Handwoven fils de coupe with hand-trimmed fringe appeared on a number of looks, including coats, skirts, and dresses. Smith liked the idea of contrasting the ornateness of the fabric with simple lines; the juxtaposition, particularly on off-the-shoulder silhouettes, felt spot-on. Another highlight was the Empire square-neckline dresses, which, though unremarkable at first glance, were actually made from a luxurious bonded Italian wool typically reserved for outerwear. It's exactly the kind of dress one can stomach wearing in below-zero weather—with a coat, that is.
12 February 2016
Blame the slip dress for fashion’s sudden obsession with layering. The ’90s staple is everywhere you look these days, often styled à laCluelesswith a turtleneck underneath or a chunky cardigan on top. Milly’s Michelle Smith is the latest designer to try out that piled-on look. Her Pre-Fall collection made the case for wearing jersey dresses over crisp button-downs, off-the-shoulder tops under plunging V-necks, and ruffled minidresses over trousers. “I wanted this raw femininity,” she explained at the lookbook shoot. “It projects confidence and strength. Some of the pieces are more fluid, so I tempered them with menswear vests or pea coats.”Smith is best known for her vibrant prints and sweet silhouettes, so those androgynous pieces didn’t feel entirely natural. A better representation of her new direction was a draped, one-shoulder blouse tucked into black palazzo pants. Ditto the billowing shell pink strapless top and matching midi skirt. There were also a few looks that mirrored Milly’s Spring ’16 show in September, like a maxi dress with V-shaped color-blocking along the bust. It would have been nice to see some of Spring’s denim pieces make a cameo, too; they would’ve injected a little extra softness and ease where this collection needed it.
17 December 2015
A return to nature is already a big theme forSpring ’16, butMilly’sMichelle Smithwas perhaps the least likely designer to go there. Over the past few years, her collections have been all about sporty fabrics, graphic colors, and structured silhouettes, so Spring was almost free-spirited in comparison. Smith said she wanted to capture the ephemeral feeling of a “summer romance,” but not in a cliché way (read: no billowing chiffon or girly florals). Instead, she relied on texture to give familiar, minimal garments a new sense of ease.Denim linen felt particularly fresh for Milly. A strapless, no-frills gown would be just as chic with flat mules or strappy stilettos, and that’s exactly the kind of versatility women are looking for these days. Asymmetrical skirts in fluttery silk cady also fit the day-to-night bill, as did a range of crispy poplin shirts and dresses. When you really stopped to think about it, though, this collection was more about an attitude than anything else. Sure, you could see a beach sunset in the rich papaya-and-gold jacquard pieces, and plunging necklines exposed a sensual flash of skin. But it was also interesting to see the way Smith layered a miniskirt over an extra-long shirtdress or how a bias-cut slip dress floated around the body just so. It’s those quieter details that added up to the chicest real-life looks—they left room for interpretation.Backstage before the show, Smith said it all felt like entirely new territory for her. But what designer doesn’t love a challenge? With sport references on the sharp decline, this looked like a promising new direction for Milly.
16 September 2015
This season found Michelle Smith embracing the Resort spirit in a relatively classic sense. Here was elevated vacation dressing (nary a cutoff in sight) through Milly's youthful lens, leaning heavily on fluid shapes, soft tailoring, and a beachy palette of white, with splashes of high-voltage color. Smith wanted to make the message cheery, sensual, and modern, so she whipped up pieces like a white tux with lime green accents at the collar and pocket. Fabrications are a clear source of pleasure for the designer, and her developments with custom textiles continued apace, as with a diamond jacquard with sheer insets (seen in the collection's most dramatic item, a sweeping circle coat) and a rich linen blend striped in tan, chartreuse, tangerine, and teal. Not everything was quite so winning: The same shades that looked dynamic in stripes on linen seemed frenetic in an abstract print. In a head-to-toe look, the effect was not entirely sensual or modern. Still, there was plenty of ease to these pieces on the whole, and for all of Milly's myriad crop tops, Smith has a knack for making clothes that would work for many a silhouette. Amy Schumer has lately been spotted looking stellar in the label's wares—you got the sense that the high-impact comic and some of these equally punchy Resort pieces would be a similarly well-made match.
11 June 2015
Grace Jones is always a fun place to start a collection. Then again, the average woman does not have the height or presence of the '80s icon. But Jones and other influences of the era are what inspired Milly's Michelle Smith, who brought something wholly different to a week full of '70s references.Smith has been working sporty fabrics for a few seasons, and she hit high notes this time around by backing melton with neoprene, which allowed her to create exactly the kind of structure and silhouette she wanted in a belled fuchsia cape, for instance, or a color-blocked full skirt. This mash-up of luxury-meets-tech worked especially well on black jackets with trench-like details and subtle knit textures, and all the black sculpted capes and skirts that closed the show. Interestingly, Smith always brought these semi-futuristic pieces back to earth by pairing them with a wool or cashmere neutral. But where the message got lost was in the satin pieces—especially one sleeveless top with what looked like a built-in origami cootie catcher—which didn't hold up against the more sculpted looks.
16 February 2015
Michelle Smith seems to get more and more minimalist each season. It's a good look for Milly, as Smith pares down her silhouettes and her palette, saving her greatest extravagances for fabrication. Spring's offering had lots of graphic appeal, and for Pre-Fall the designer continued down that path. Black, cobalt, and white popped in cropped slouch trousers and jumpsuits that were nice, if not revelatory. The sporty fabrics that have become mainstays of the Milly vocab over the past few seasons came out to play, too, as in an unusual windowpane mesh that was draped and folded to expose its contrasting underside. It was trendy, but not cloyingly so. Smith's most laudable feat here was really her outerwear: A classic '60s-inspired coat came in a vibrant deconstructed tweed, and trench-inspired vests will make great layering pieces. Even better, though, was a glossy black raffia topper. It was just the thing to jazz up Smith's simple staples—luxe and a little bit weird in all the right ways.
11 December 2014
After the first look out, one might have encountered a niggling suspicion: Was this the Milly show? But the gift bags under the seats confirmed it; we were in the right place to see Michelle Smith's playful and deeply wearable contemporary line. And yet, her show kicked off with an ensemble that felt pretty enigmatic, particularly in light of Fall's ballerina-inspired fare: a mesh bomber with dolman sleeves and matching skirt, topped off with an asymmetrically knotted (and faintly Demeulemeester-esque) head scarf—all noir.It was a choice that made more sense upon learning about Smith's fodder for the collection—conceptual art, specifically that of John Baldessari and Dan Graham (whose site-specific work, presently gracing the Met rooftop, inspired the show's mirror-heavy set). A few looks in and Smith's vision of the artists looked more typically digestible and sporty. Her evident love of fabrication yielded some good things, from a double-face organza that sandwiched delicate threads of raffia, to a custom jacquard in a mod dolly-girl print, to another geometric number held together with whisper-thin clear filaments. Shapes leaned mostly toward the modish, with plenty of sports-bra tops and track-pant-like trousers. But the collection wasn't without its surprises. The pairing of an A-line skirt in the aforementioned organza with a sweater in a delightfully oversize knit felt right on the money—pretty damned charming, in fact.
8 September 2014
This season, Michelle Smith was focused on building up the foundational elements of her Milly collection. Working from the inside out, the Resort lineup featured cute, abbreviated bustiers and pleated shorts in a structured cady fabric as the base of several looks. In several instances, those bra tops came layered under sheer latticework bombers and pencil skirts that reinterpreted Spring's perforated mesh group in embroidered tulle. It felt more sophisticated but still packed a graphic punch. Elsewhere, bustiers mixed in with clean, tailored separates including tuxedo jackets and a terrific pair of high-waisted, wide-legged trousers that gave the impression of skyscraper legs. Getting creative with styling, Smith showed soft silk shirtdresses worn open and loose—like a lightweight alternative to a trench—and incorporated swimwear as ready-to-wear, or vice versa. While the contemporary Milly customer will appreciate the modern, relatively pared-back basics here, she still can't resist a flirty party outfit. Highlights in this category included a printed organza frock that offered just a hint of transparency, as well as a full silk faille skirt splashed with a painterly floral that was teamed with a matching crop top. Overall, there weren't any particularly new ideas here, but plenty of easy, wearable pieces.
12 June 2014
"I think some of the new ballerinas are the new style stars, like Maria Kochetkova from the San Francisco Ballet," designer Michelle Smith said backstage before Milly's Fall runway show. A bold statement? Perhaps, considering the relatively niche-y spotlight even principals enjoy. But Smith's latest offering was an appropriately elegant, movement-filled tribute to dance. Models floating down the catwalk amid clouds of cream-colored Mongolian lamb fur were more effective than the winking nods, such as a blush tulle maxi skirt. The fabrics were all suitably opulent, from a knitted rabbit fur to an almost liquid chevron fringe and a shockingly metallic (and undeniably pretty) foil leather. There were also dense paillettes. Even a paper-bag trouser had a certain life to it, thanks to the subtle addition of Lurex to a staid navy twill. Laminated ebony tweed was particularly lovely, seen in a stunning fur-trimmed cape jacket and an oversize coat that no doubt had an air of off-duty dancer to it. Less successful were propositions like mille-feuille circle skirts or a strapless fringe-covered jumpsuit. All in all, though, there were certainly a few ovation-worthy looks that should have fans hungry for next season.
9 February 2014
"The mood for my girl this season is a bit poetic. There's a light touch of darkness," said Michelle Smith during her Milly Pre-Fall shoot. With her brooding gaze and pulled-down beanie, French lookbook model Loulou Robert (who also starred in the label's debut print campaign) captured the melancholic edge of Smith's new clothes. The designer worked in a predominantly somber color palette, softening it up with occasional pops of ballet pink. A sporty black nylon parka looked cool teamed with a feather-trimmed sweater and pale pink leather stovepipes featuring polished slits at the knees. Elsewhere, knitted rabbit pieces, including pullovers and vests, added a plush touch. On the other hand, Milly's new range of handbags (backpacks and clutches equipped with oversize zippers) came in vegan-friendly faux fur.On set, Smith noted that she's been "moving away from tech and doing more with couture fabrics again." She whipped up a rounded car coat and midi skirt from a fringy fil coupe, and cut a sharp bolero jacket from an intricate fuchsia jacquard. Those items felt particularly special, as did a striped silk georgette maxi skirt, which Smith recently took for a spin at a black-tie event. She paired the floor-sweeping number with a T-shirt that read "Sorry for Partying." That's the kind of fun and modern approach that Milly customers continue to appreciate.
12 December 2013
"I was inspired by traditional notions of femininity," said Michelle Smith backstage before her Spring runway show at Lincoln Center. And by femininity, she didn't mean bows and ruffles but rather real curves. Nearly every look in the collection will give Smith's woman an hourglass figure, regardless of whether or not she was born with one.A black, almost empire-waist wiggle skirt with chevron-patterned netting up the seams showed just a flash of skin paired with the season's requisite bra top. "I'm very strategic about how much torso to show and what part to show," Smith said. And she's right—there is a certain sliver that most women are fortunate enough to be able to pull off.Textiles are always a big part of Smith's repertoire; she does the fabric research and designs the prints herself. This season, those designs were inspired by a trip to Japan and Hawaii, and they were fun in a kawaii sort of way. The most successful was a multicolor parrot print, done on a bra top and high-waisted micro shorts layered under a honeycomb-knit camp shirt and matching bubble skirt. There were couture-inspired elements, too, including a white jacket—again in the lattice knit—with a super-swingy back. By the way, that knit, which came in black and white on a million different separates—from molded sweatshirts to below-the-knee pencil skirts—was very, very see-through. Smith guaranteed that the pieces would be lined for the hordes of buyers that are sure to come a-calling, but on the runway, it looked hip as it was.
10 September 2013
The sportier direction Milly has taken in the past year has worked out well for the contemporary brand. In her new Resort collection, designer Michelle Smith combined that athleticism with the femininity the label has been known for. Smith was big on the still-trending exposed midriffs, showing modern looks like navel-grazing, zippered tanks paired with stretchy, scubalike pencil skirts (cut both above and below the knee) in a vibrant paint-drip print. She said she wanted to make look-at-me party dresses ideal for Art Basel in Miami Beach, which occurs right around the time these clothes arrive in stores. Highlights in that category included a citron-colored, stretchy sheath that had flattering cutouts at the shoulders and the solar plexus—"a spot where all women are thin," Smith pointed out—as well as a short, strapless number cut from an artisanal raffia jacquard. She took cutouts a step further withfils coupepieces like a structured car coat and a delicate T-shirt featuring floating hexagons appliquéd on tulle. The Milly customer should respond well to this fresh lineup.
13 June 2013
An observation: There's a certain group of contemporary designers who pander to fashion bloggers. They put out loud, notice-me pieces that would look cool Instagrammed, tweeted, or Tumblr'd, but maybe not so great in the office, or even for a night out to the movies. (You know, the places where women actually wear contemporary clothes.)Michelle Smith, who launched Milly in 2001, is one of those blogger-beloved designers. But for the time being, she is balancing the flash with the practical. For Fall, Smith was inspired by New York City, and it showed. A "city lights" digital print was made from a photograph of the West Village at night, looking cute on a flirty dress and skirt. The oversize menswear coat—available in New York-appropriate black and gray—was a favorite with the models. It's easy to imagine any of them wearing it while bouncing around the Lower East Side.Smith is into relaxed silhouettes, and a sweatshirt/pencil skirt combo popped up again and again. "It's the new suit," she said backstage. In hologram leather—a blogger favorite—it was cool. (Although it's hard to imagine anyone actually wearing the top and bottom together. Maybe a black top with a shiny bottom instead.) In a silver metallic stud-embossed leather, it was staid.All in all, the collection was modern, if not totally fresh. An exception was the elbow-sleeve black dress with stripes of iridescent Lurex fringe: It would look fantastic on bloggers and real girls alike.
12 February 2013
"She's smart and not concerned with being beautiful, but she is beautiful," said Michelle Smith of her contemporary customer. While the Milly girl may not be concerned with her looks, she does care about being stylish and, according to Smith, "shops pre-fall for fashion pieces as well as essentials." In the smart basics category were tapered and cropped trousers (an of-the-moment silhouette) and a soft black leather pencil skirt. As for the fashion, Smith showed a not-your-grandmother's-tweed jacket trimmed in leather and tricked out with metal tips at the base of the zipper, as well as a flattering sheath dress that mixed two kinds of custom French tweed with a "gumball" lace. Feathered skirts and whimsical owl-print separates were a total hoot.
20 December 2012
"It's not your grandmother's Chanel jacket," said designer Michelle Smith, gesturing at a hooded tweed bomber jacket backstage before Milly's Spring show. Styled with a structured cage skirt cut from metallic gauze, the look demonstrated how Smith picked up her prepster-with-a-twist and bolted toward the saturated sportswear-inspired market. There was a long windbreaker cut from a featherweight techno fabric, which was also whipped up into a corseted sheath with a couturelike cascade in back. The more obvious athletic references here, including bright, zipper-trimmed scuba dresses and mesh sweatshirts, seemed somewhat well explored already, but you're still bound to see more of them on the trendy girls preening around Lincoln Center next NYFW.
11 September 2012
Michelle Smith is rounding out a long Resort season with a new lineup for Milly inspired by the irresistibly catchy seventies tune "Funky Nassau." With its polka-dot PVC trenchcoats, neon bungee cord belts, and graphic prints, her collection had an upbeat vibe similar to the song. And stylish moms will be happy to know their girls can dress just like them in scaled-down, coordinating pieces from the Milly Minis line (Smith's daughter Sophia was happy to skip summer camp for a day and model for the lookbook). Tailored shorts suits and corseted shifts for daytime came in a "wood grain pattern that I wanted to be a non-pattern," explained the designer. Another highlight was the slouchy, marled sweater paired with a ruffled geometric miniskirt, which struck a nice balance between free and easy funk and fashion.
11 July 2012
Unexpected volumes were the big story on today's Milly runway. Michelle Smith showed a fresh Fall collection full of couture-inspired shapes that felt imaginative and different for the brand that built itself on ladylike designs with an edge.Cases in point: the shocking-pink, structured jumper dress with origamilike loop details; and a techno taffeta miniskirt with padded hips. But fear not, ladies. While padded hips may sound like an unflattering fashion trap for those who aren't sample size, Smith assured us backstage after the show that she had all the girls on her team (with a variety of body types) try out the look, and now they're reportedly total believers. The key is balancing out the dramatic lower half with a slim top like the on-trend turtlenecks worn here.Less experimental Milly fans will also find plenty of classic, flirty merch with endless layering possibilities, like leather circle skirts and quilted nylon vests.
14 February 2012
You wouldn't notice it at first glance, but every Milly tag also has "An Original of New York" etched in tiny print under the big brand name. Designer Michelle Smith underscored this detail at her pre-fall lookbook shoot, stressing that the Big Apple is integral to every collection. Neighborhood-wise, Milly is typically favored by the kind of girls who roam the Upper East Side, but this collection had more of a sub-14th Street vibe that was refreshing for the label. One could imagine sometime New Yorker Alexa Chung, for example, stomping around Williamsburg in the first outfit: the sweater with a detachable Peter Pan collar paired with a swingy leather circle skirt (Chung, naturally, would add in opaque stockings and fun flats).Smith focused on fabrics this season and even shelled out a bit more for some of the high-tech materials here, which included coated nylon taffeta, bonded double-face wool, and laminated tweed. These textiles updated classic silhouettes (tab-front cigarette pants or a basic LBD) that may have come across as unadventurous had they been cut from a different cloth. For evening, there was a chiffon tank dress that skimmed the body with a hemline embroidered in hand-cut paillettes, as well as a fun frock with a marabou feather skirt that will be a good fit with the downtown crowd.
8 January 2012
Milly's Spring collection was a lesson in geometry. Designer Michelle Smith recently saw an exhibit of artist Sonia Delaunay's bold textile work at the Cooper-Hewitt museum and used it as a jumping-off point for the Tetris-like patterns and color palette (cobalt, tan, white, red, and palm green) here. This collection was "more linear and modern than it's been, with an emphasis on clean shapes," according to the designer. The boxy tangerine dress with a scattering of hand-embroidered gold sequins had an artisanal feel. And a favorite look of Smith's, a simple royal blue sheath dress with a high neckline, cut from a tropical wool, came styled with a resin turtle brooch and neck scarf tied à la Christina Ricci in the newPan Amseries.Speaking of, Milly's accessories have been steadily improving each season, and Smith's new capsule collection with Sperry Top-Sider ("I've been wearing Sperrys since I was a kid," she said), which featured cute espadrille platforms, was a high point here. As were the new handbag designs: slim rectangular clutches and satchels in bright citron, pink, and aqua. Referencing the ongoing neon fad, Smith said, "They [neons] are easy to wear as finishing-touch pieces. But I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of palette-cleansing grays and blacks next season."
13 September 2011
Michelle Smith thinks of Resort as a "palate-cleansing sorbet course" before Spring. The vibrant scarlet and cyan shades in this collection were indeed refreshing, as was a long, dip-dyed "island" dress that satisfied the vacation aspect of Resort (there were cute swimsuits for that, too). After taking in the recentPicasso and Marie-Thérèse: L'amour fouexhibition at Gagosian, the Milly designer wondered what it would like to be an artist's muse. So there were impressionist, painterly prints on A-line skirts and dresses. Other notable looks included a "kooky square-pattern" dress that appeared to be two separate pieces (a lightweight chain was sewn into the top half to achieve a nice drape), and a stretchy cargo trench dress with tortoise shell novelty buttons. There was nothing terribly groundbreaking here, but Smith has her whimsical customer nailed down.
7 July 2011
Michelle Smith was going for a Guy Bourdin feel for Fall. There was no state of undress here (everything was, of course, comme il faut), but shades of the provocative photographer came across in the saturated colors used and the models' bright, painted pouts. Mixing guava with ruby and candy pink sounds like a potential rainbow explosion but was actually quite refreshing. Backstage before the show, the Milly designer pointed out one of her favorite pieces in the collection—a tiered emerald frock cut from a silk jacquard that had a minuscule herringbone pattern when viewed up close. Smith loves the long hemlines we've been seeing lately. A wool maxi with delicate beaded stripes was paired with a fisherman sweater; to-the-knee corduroy culottes had a certain girl scout cuteness to them. Evening highlights included a metallic scallop-pattern dress with a bib tail worn with a Mongolian lamb vest (Smith called it "the youngest of furs"), and the finale Chantilly lace blouse and skirt set. The collection should be a hit with Milly fans and retailers alike.
15 February 2011
Perennial muse Peggy Guggenheim—the late, storied society eccentric and art collector—is being cited a lot lately: Karl Lagerfeld channeled her for Chanel Resort, Peter Som named her as one inspiration behind his sunny outing a few days ago, and now Michelle Smith has served up a Spring with Peggy-esque saturated florals, geometric prints, turbans, and, naturally, harlequin sunglasses. Prim, belted dresses were a fitting canvas on which to debut Milly's new jewelry and handbag lines. Of special note were the chunky tribal necklaces made of wood and agate. The styling and accessories, in fact, rather stole the show. Stripped of all the ornamentation, one could imagine almost any aspiring gossip girlandher mother wearing a graphic navy shift with a peekaboo gold inverted pleat.
14 September 2010
Milly's Michelle Smith was thinking of a honeymoon in Venice for Resort: the watercolor Venetian skyline print that anchors the collection (twist her arm and she'll reveal it's actually Florence); the warm, fresco yellows; the full-skirted silhouettes. Truth be told, she'd been waiting for the romantic mood to come back around. "The whole heavy-metal trend wasn't my favorite," she said.Milly is a thriving business, and the breadth of the collection is made for devoted customers buying deeply. It didn't vary all that much from a tried-and-true collection of staple shapes (the shift dress, the classic coat, the naval skirt), but why should it? Smith's customers aren't chasing fast-moving trends. They're sold on her fine fabrics (many archival and European, sourced from her years working for Hermès and Vuitton overseas) and kitschy-cute details, like oversized buttons, as well as her expanding costume-jewelry range.
13 July 2010
"What's classic is modern," Michelle Smith proclaimed before her Fall show. Some of the city-chic ensembles in crisp red, navy, and green were quite strong—but unfortunately, Smith's simple declarative message was muddled by distracting styling and a too-long lineup.Strengths included cropped peacoats in double-faced wool and several ladylike wool jacket-and-miniskirt pairings, particularly the one in white with red and blue checks. Smith—who also cited a trio of Godard films as inspiration—clearly counts sixties French fashion under the rubric of "what's classic."These cute, retro silhouettes were undermined by the addition of acid pink tights, laser-cut berets, and busy plaid pumps. Plenty of standout separates hit the Milly runway today, but it was difficult to appreciate the simplicity of the clothes with everything else that was going on.
16 February 2010
Let other designers have their springtime florals and pastels. Milly's Michelle Smith is going for something darker. "It sounds funny," Smith, best known for her bright sixties-inspired shifts, said backstage today, "but basing a whole collection around the color black felt really fresh and unexpected."Smith stuck with her tried-and-true silhouettes—sheaths, minishorts, and swingy elbow-sleeve coats with oversize buttons—giving the ebony versions a touch of whimsy with dramatic gold embellishment around necklines and hems.The real story today, though, was the debut of Milly's costume jewelry. A longtime collector herself, Smith weighed down her models with tangles of chunky chain necklaces and stacked bangles that, even worn solo, are standout statement pieces priced well at $200 to $400.
15 September 2009
According to the program notes, designer Michelle Smith views herself as her own muse each season. If her growing business is any indication—Milly recently opened an in-shop boutique at Harrods, and Jill Biden wore a houndstooth Milly shift on Inauguration Day, sparking a spike in sales—she has good taste. The cool-creative style of New York's galleristas was the jumping-off point for her latest effort, but the focus, as always, was on striking a balance between versatility and wearability. The designer had fun with tweed, turning out a rubberized swing coat and wool separates shot through with gold thread. The short cocktail frock, Milly's bread and butter, turned up in velvet with a pleated silk collar, in fringed micro-tweed, and in an incarnation bearing tassel embroidery. OK, there weren't too many new ideas here, but if ain't broken, why fix it?
17 February 2009
Michelle Smith took a vacation in Tuscany this summer, but her clothes for Spring were bound for Marrakech circa 1970. Smith's a few seasons late on the boho revival, but that didn't stop her from piling on the crochet bikinis, sheer caftans, and bead-heavy embroidery. The trippy prints were fun—a lavender ikat would look nice with a tan—but overall, there wasn't much that felt fresh.
9 September 2008