Hellessy (Q4262)
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Hellessy is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Hellessy |
Hellessy is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
This afternoon, Sylvie Millstein showed her fall 2020 Hellessy collection inside an intimate, bare-bones event space with exposed red brick and a concrete floor. It was vastly different from last season, when she sent models parading through the glamorous, ornately decorated restaurant Buddakhan. But the raw edges of this spot made sense for her latest designs, which had a bit more softness and effortlessness to them. There was a pretty tiered ballerina tulle dress, for example, which is the first time she’s used the light and airy fabric. The model who wore the ivory exaggerated long-sleeve sweaterdress with a black lace lining appeared comfortable and cool. And Millstein’s deep emerald green evening jumpsuit stood out too as something a little less structured for this designer, who loves a geometric silhouette and trompe l’oeil detailing.Plenty of her signature twists were still on full display, including the slightly oddly cut cropped suit and the cigarette pants with panels of fabric and fringe attached to the legs. These are Millstein’s signature, statement-making pieces, and they will always be a part of her repertoire. But she really shined this season by showing some restraint. Softness and easy romance look good on the Hellessy woman.
8 February 2020
This season, Hellessy designer Sylvie Millstein brought her muse Bianca Jagger to Buddakan. The restaurant was a New York hotspot in the late 2000s, hosting the nightclub-hopping set just north of the Meatpacking District’s center. Fun fact: it was also where Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big held their rehearsal dinner in the 2008Sex and the Citymovie. The space is ornate and lavish, with a central gilded stairwell and images of Buddha next to rich tapestries. At least back in its heyday, it could’ve been somewhere Jagger enjoyed a cocktail or two, wearing some fabulous flowing wrap dress.At Hellessy, Millstein likes to experiment with new shapes and silhouettes. This season, she added a built-in corset to crisp white shirting and trompe l’oeil sleeves and scarves to tops. She also showed off-the-shoulder blouses and dresses, and there were pouf sleeves aplenty. Millstein has hit these points many times before though. The pieces that stood out were those that showcased her ability to evolve in a thoughtful, more subtle way, among them a draped orange peasant top and yellow boho skirt and an orange silk wrap dress with one shirt sleeve and one cape sleeve. Thanks to those pieces, Millstein’s Spring collection was a little less angular and edgy than previous seasons and refreshingly so. It did indeed call to mind the easy, but mesmerizing, night-on-the-town style of Jagger.
7 September 2019
Sylvie Millstein’s life is a little bit stressful right now. She has newborn twin boys at home, plus two grade school boys finishing up school and getting prepped for summer activities. Thankfully, Millstein’s design studio is directly across the street from her home, making it easy for her to jet back and forth multiple times a day. As such, her latest Resort 2020 collection was not about traveling to some far-flung locale (she can’t remember the last vacation she took), but made instead for a woman who is constantly running around. Well, a busy woman running around who also has the party and black tie gala circuit to attend to. Hellessy is a brand that caters to a certain niche of urban-dwelling woman that is constantly event-ing and working, moving from one place to the other and not wanting to change clothes in between.Millstein’s designs are sensitive to this idea of day-to-night dressing. Her trompe l’oeil shirts, like the one this season that appeared to have a bra peeking out from the dropped shoulders, are meant to be worn with jeans and sneakers or with a pair of her ribbon-trimmed trousers and heels. There were plenty of these hybrid, interchangeable separates this season, some more appealing than others, like the draped, one-shoulder sweater that tied in sections down the sleeve. Millstein’s cocktail dress offering was nice, particularly the bubble hem, balloon-sleeve mini embroidered with a moon and starburst motif. The crochet knit gown that looked as if its hem had been tied up to the thigh at one side was also appealing, but an emerald green silk dress cut bluntly short at the front and long at the back struck a different, not as charming note. Millstein certainly showed range in terms of the sheer number of pieces and the variance in silhouettes. She clearly had the idea of more is more on the brain, even if at times the vision went in a few different directions.
4 June 2019
Sylvie Millstein is in for some chaos this year. The designer is having twin boys (due today, actually) via a surrogate. She already has two young boys at home, not to mention her own successful international fashion business. Millstein has a full plate at the moment, and instead of going in deep with a specific narrative for her collection this season, she decided to let loose and give in to the whirlwind of her life right now. The resulting garments were a wild mixture of electric colors, sequins, and rich velvet. Millstein incorporated insect embroideries onto silk blouses; grosgrain ribbon detailing on a double-breasted suit; and a red, white, and blue star print on a belted dress with arm cut-outs. Another frock featured an abstract paisley pattern in neon pink and green. But the most eye-popping piece was a red sequined evening gown with a trompe l’oeil shirt tied at the waist and a neckline that fell just a tad off the shoulder.The majority of the collection was also customizable, with slit sleeves that could be pinned back for the look of an entirely new cut, removable brooches on jackets, as well as that signature Hellessy illusion of a shirt or scarf tied around the neck or waist. Although this outing was certainly more stream of consciousness for Millstein, and a touch too out there in terms of embellishments and mixed prints, it did feel like a personal ode to her design DNA, the one that has made her label stand out in the market over the last few years. The other important thing to note is that Millstein’s wares seem to attract a diverse range of ages, women younger and older who are all looking for something different to wear to their frequent black-tie events and cocktail parties. Just look at how well 68-year-old supermodel Pat Cleveland wore Millstein’s hooded drawstring gown and star-print cowl-neck dress on the runway today. Hellessy’s latest collection may be too daring for some, but for her most loyal fans, it certainly has all of the fearlessness they crave.
8 February 2019
Even though it was a Friday inside Legacy Records, one of Manhattan’s buzziest new restaurants, designer Sylvie Millstein was thinking of the beach. Backstage, she spoke about summer nostalgia and that feeling of longing for the sun and sand once September hits and we’re all jerked back into reality. There were plenty of Slim Aarons–esque seaside vibes throughout her large offering today (she showed 36 looks), especially in the striped separates, the red shirtdress with cut-out shoulders, and the surfer hoodie stamped with, “En fait, je voudrais aller à la plage,” which translates to “I’d rather be at the beach.” The majority of the collection however, was better suited for an evening of cocktails in the very place where we were seated.Millstein always puts glamour first, and today it was there in the beautiful acid-yellow dress made from a lace jacquard, and the silk pale blue gown with a low V-neck. Sure, they were great for summer, but they didn’t feel all that nostalgic for the ease associated with the months of June through August. The designer’s use of a coral lamé fabric on one of her signature sexy off-the-shoulder pieces also felt a bit off-theme—more disco than dockside. With that being said, this kind of luxurious, statement-making agenda is one that made Hellessy successful in the first place, from the day it launched in 2012 to today. The aesthetic and design elements don’t differentiate too much from season to season, and while at times that can seem static to someone sitting in the front row, it’s what the Hellessy woman wants, and there’s certainly no shame in that game.As a whole, this season offered up a well styled, wide-ranging, and beautifully tailored collection that provided something for everyone in Millstein’s customer base, whether they’re hanging out at a fabulous marina cafe in St.-Tropez or sipping a drink at the coolest spot in New York City.
7 September 2018
Designer Sylvie Millstein wanted her Resort 2019 collection to pop. Her main concern was infusing the clothes with hues that would instantly draw her customer’s attention, and thus she looked to a famous female artist who once had a similar idea. Photographs of paintings by the Abstract Expressionist Helen Frankenthaler hung on a board next to the collection. The painter’s fuchsia, deep green, and mustard yellow brushstrokes were mesmerizing, as were more than a few of Millstein’s latest wares. Of particular note was a sharp suit and a long gown with ruffled sleeves and a cut-out just below the chest, both in a beautiful buttercream yellow. Another standout was a bubblegum pink top with balloon sleeves and black bows tied at the bicep. Then Millstein segued to button-downs and wide-leg trousers in a flannel print, which felt like a story way outside the lines of a Frankenthaler masterpiece.Statement pants, as in the Hellessy signature and best-selling skinny trousers decorated with one or two long sashes down the back, were here in bulk and seemed slightly repetitive. The draw to Millstein’s clothes is her sharp tailoring. She can trick the eye by adding extra sleeves to the hem of a long shirt and tying them around the waist for a trompe l’oeil look. This season, it was impressive to see her take the typically flowing and loose silhouette of a prairie gown and reconstruct it using heavy corduroy. Though she can miss a beat here and there, this designer gets props for making women rethink the way they get dressed up for day and night, whether it’s the idea of daring to wear a silk train on their work pants or a corduroy gown to a black-tie event.
8 June 2018
Even this early in the New York Fashion Week whirlwind, a trend is starting to emerge. Opulence and excess, mostly the kinds we saw in the ’80s, are exploding on the runways. Just look at Tom Ford’s neon leopard prints and crystal-encrusted mega hoop earrings. At the moment, more is more for Ford and a few other designers, including Hellessy’s Sylvie Millstein. Truthfully, Millstein has always described her clothes as statement-making, and while she emphasized that she was going bigger and bolder this season, Fall didn’t seem to have that much more oomph than her past collections. She always loves a billowy, oversize sleeve; a sculptural fold or drape; and a pair of slim trousers embellished with a sash on each leg. At Millstein’s runway show today, though, there were definitely glimmers of extra drama and some nods to her muse, the famously ornate interior designer Tony Duquette. These came mostly by way of some floral corsages, the wallpaper-print florals on shirting, and moiré fabric used in various ways, which mimicked the look of a slab of decadent wood. Colors were also important in highlighting Millstein’s Duquette fantasy, including flamingo pinks and money green.Millstein has found her sweet spot by making clothes for women who want to catch eyes in any room they enter: She never veers far off that path. This season was a bright and happy collection for Hellessy, and though the extravagant additions were more subtle than perhaps Millstein intended, it was still plenty eye-catching.
9 February 2018
A few seasons ago, Sylvie Millstein told aVoguereviewer this: “We’re always about statement pieces.” Indeed, Hellessy is a brand that strives to offer its clientele clothes that have intentionaloomph—trousers with trains and bulbous balloon-sleeve tops with asymmetrical necklines, to name just two of her best sellers. For spring, Millstein chilled out on the drama a little bit and it was exciting to see her do so. Instead of edgy and architectural, there were free-spirited silhouettes and color palettes borrowed from Lauren Hutton and the deserts of Utah. Millstein imagined the film icon on a road trip through the American southwest, wearing pantsuits, vintage tees, and jeans along the way. For a designer who has referenced Robert Mapplethorpe and Johannes Vermeer in her last two collections, a drive through the Mojave was a welcome departure.That being said, Millstein did incorporate some of her signature flounce here and there. Beautiful off-the-shoulder, mutton-sleeve dresses and shirting that came knotted at the bodice were the highlights, while the use of prints with celestial and Southwestern motifs was a bit off base. Again, the simpler looks tended to be Millstein’s most successful: The Japanese denim skirt and ivory belted jacket combination looked like something a more upscale Georgia O’Keeffe might wear, and the sand stretch linen and cotton dress would do well in Ms. Hutton’s wardrobe. The Hellessy-favorite embellishments—prints, ruffles, and draping—were all still there, but in quieter iterations. They managed to stand out a touch more this time around.
8 September 2017
Understandably, most of the designers who decided to move forward with resort collections this year focused their creative inspirations around the simplicity of being at home. Like the rest of us, they were confined to their own living spaces as the coronavirus outbreak began, and the ways in which they typically designed, produced, and manufactured were completely disrupted. Sylvie Millstein calls her new lineup the “at home” collection. Compared to her fall 2020 runway, which featured embellished suiting, and velvet and silk jacquard gowns, this offering was a refreshing, edited take on the glamorous Hellessy aesthetic.Smartly so, she and her team decided to focus on two of their bestselling categories: denim and knitwear. Millstein asked herself, “what’s the purpose of developing a collection under these circumstances?” Her answer was conceptualizing a capsule line of comfortable, practical clothing. Items like a drapey, pearl embellished cable knit sweater and jeans decorated with a long silk sash are the kinds of things one might wear on a Zoom call or to a small dinner party at a friend’s place.Also worth noting is the fact that Millstein used only upcycled fabrics from previous collections, a tactic she’d be wise to continue building upon for future designs. Though Millstein’s “at home” point of view isn’t entirely unique in this new world we’re living in, she deserves high marks for her concise, straightforward, but still pretty approach to a new kind of everyday uniform.
15 July 2020
Designer Sylvie Millstein called on a few friends to help her out with her first-ever pre-fall collection, asking the editors, stylists, and entrepreneurs she knows to style themselves in pieces from her new Hellessy outing. The idea was to showcase the clothes on real and very busy women. Millstein wanted to show that she really does design with practicality in mind, and that she wants to give these moms and multi-hyphenates clothes that stand out while also providing comfort, versatility, and ease.“Timeless” was a word the designer kept referring to as she pointed out a hybrid sweater/shirtdress and cropped tuxedo jackets as examples of items to buy and wear on repeat. She said that nothing this season was too “trendy” and that her day-to-night items—the red silk minidress with obi belt and the one-shoulder and off-the-shoulder balloon-sleeve blouses—were meant to have a long-lasting freshness to them.Having stripped away some of her signature asymmetric detailing and glamazon evening embellishments, this was one of Millstein’s most succinct and confident collections in recent seasons. She should continue down this path.
14 January 2020
Coming off of a Fall collection that drew inspiration from Robert Mapplethorpe’s erotic flower photographs, Hellessy’s Sylvie Millstein was feeling a bit more romantic for Resort. Instead of taking an overtly modernist approach this season, the designer looked at paintings by 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer and more precisely, his striking use of cerulean in famous works likeGirl with a Pearl Earring. Millstein paired deep and light shades of the hue together to create bold looks like the off-the-shoulder, voluminous-sleeve dress with a dark blue top in a floral silk jacquard with a lighter blue tiered skirt.The lovely floral jacquard was a nice addition to the Hellessy lineup for Resort, especially when compared to the buffalo-check-pattern blouses that felt a bit off her romantic message. Millstein’s aim, she explained, is to give women plenty of versatility, whether they want to pair one of her architectural blouses with jeans or put on one of her cool shirtdresses, which can be worn in multiple ways. With Hellessy, and this season in particular, a girl can be casual, dressed up, sensual, and romantic all at once.
7 June 2017
Sylvie Millstein has come quite a long way with Hellessy. When she first launched in 2012, her MO was to give women a pared-down selection of simple, luxurious day-to-nightwear and now, in her second season staging a proper runway show, she continues to elevate the label’s overall aesthetic and artistic sensibility. For Fall, the designer used Robert Mapplethorpe’s sensual flower photographs as a visual jumping-off point, citing his ability to “capture their femininity but also their edge at the same time.” She added, “I really love how his photographs are elegant but also very dangerous.”With this in mind, Millstein took menswear basics like a striped button-down shirt and slashed it up, superimposing a twisted drape onto the front so it appeared to hang off the model’s neck, like it could fall off at any moment. On a plain white button-down, Millstein added voluminous black balloon sleeves. Edginess was also apparent in a floral jacquard-cloqué sweatshirt with a frill shoulder cutout; an ecru merino wool cableknit sweater with slashed sleeves and button accents; and a shirtdress with distressed grosgrain ties (more Araki than Mapplethorpe but, no matter). Then there were the usual Hellessy suspects—the twisted drape, open-shouldered top and the hybrid cigarette pant decorated with a tuxedo tail.Millstein’s latest outing wasn’t overtly radical or experimental, and you had to look hard to grasp the touches of Mapplethorpe and his flowers, but it was just right for Hellessy’s clientele of well-heeled women who aren’t afraid to make an entrance.
10 February 2017
For Spring, Sylvie Millstein’sHellessywoman wants a wardrobe "refresh". And who wouldn’t after a long, trying winter? Her stylistic reset is about opening up—and anchoring that revelatory statement with an off-the-shoulder “Bessette collar” shirt, which appeared in multiple iterations on her first-ever runway today (prior seasons have all been staged in presentation format).The open-air looseness of the blousons, which Millstein imagined Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy might’ve worn, was echoed in other pieces, too, like a wide-leg cotton linen trouser with statement buttons along the ankles. Ditto the breathy cascading ruffle of a smart little silk satin dress in white with black micro–polka dots. Asymmetrical pants had a trail-away component. An asymmetrically hemmed dress in Tyrrhenian blue was made of light, scallop-crocheted silk.Distantly, Hellessy also suggested that this collection was inspired by the élan and aesthetic of the Amalfi Coast and the pool-plunge images by the painter Eric Zener. Those anchor points were quite obtuse, save for a print of sea urchins and starfish, as these clothes seemed more fundamentally about shape and float. Millstein should use caution, however, with certain fabrications. A poppy red silk viscose shantung T-shirt dress was fabulous in construction, but the hue and textile cheapened it. Better were her blends and knits.
8 September 2016
In a season that can make as little sense as Resort—silk slips and short minks!—any context is welcome. By inviting buyers and editors into her sprawling, art-filled Soho loft for the presentation of her new collection forHellessy, Sylvie Millstein reaped that very benefit, her own sun-drenched aerie (and adorable young son politely Razor-scootering around models and visitors) giving her clothing a hint of the life it might live off the rack. These little touches help when confronting what has become a markedly uneven, and unabashedly commercial, season. In that particularly commercial vein, Millstein largely succeeded, with a collection that hit some familiar—and notably well-selling—notes. Short-torsoed blouses with dramatically poufed poet sleeves (a style that is already a hit in stores and on the street) were inspired by “Argentina and gauchos,” said Millstein, and these were created in chambray, striped silk jacquard, and clean crepe double-face cotton. One style of blouse was intended to be worn open over the collarbone, baring that shoulder and buttoning down the sleeve, a tricky trend once originated by Martin Margiela, and seen more recently in iterations by Jacquemus and Monse. “We’re always about statement pieces,” said Millstein.A pair of prints (one abstract, the other a micro floral) turned up in crepe separates, trapeze shaped sleeveless shirting, and short dresses. Trousers, typically a strength for Millstein, were less so when slit to the knee, as was often the case here. Sweeping prairie skirts were mostly, mercifully, in solid colors, though they still lacked the lightness required to balance out a silhouette that on the street typically skews dowdy. Leather pants were casually cuffed and carried the requisite amount of slouch to convey “cool,” though they, like nearly everything shown, boasted some inexplicable dangling ties from the edges of their pockets. A narrow leather blazer and elastic-banded black leather bustier worn over a blouse were misfires, but long silk trousers shown with a matching camisole and a contrasting structured cotton duster coat were in step with Millstein’s typical easy chic, and trompe l’oeil layered bustier over a white button-down felt like a clever solution to the average woman’s attempts at artful layering.
It should come as little surprise that the best piece of the whole collection—a white generously sleeved shirtdress that could carry you seamlessly from seaside resort to city street—was also the simplest.
6 June 2016
“Charlotte Rampling is the epitome of very polished but very sultry at the same time,” saidHellessy’s Sylvie Millstein early this frigid New York morning, just before her Fall presentation began. Those words are keystones, as it happens, in the Hellessy composition—and if anything, Rampling’s metered gaze and boyish persona lent a leaner, sportier shellac to the brand’s long and languid silhouettes this time around.“This is traditional fabric that I wanted to work with in a novelty way,” said Millstein, starting first with the collection’s finale look, a jacquard A-line gown in emerald dye. She also mentioned wanting to make use of a mid-V neckline, which was seen frequently throughout. The dress was nice, lo-fi, and certainly a clean formatting of a textile usually more “done up.” The designer succeeded in this sort of fluid thinking; a gabardine top and skirt midway through, however, overlaid with satin at the torso, was a bit busy, too cumbersome.But, back to traditional fabrics updated: It was Millstein’s twists on jersey that felt the most noteworthy. It might be a hard sell (though, given the ultra-volumes and starlet appeal of someone like Rosie Assoulin, maybe not), but an off-the-shoulder kimono jersey top with gigantically flared sleeves was an interesting idea. And there was a strong Yves Klein blue knit in a chunky wool-cashmere blend—Millstein’s version, maybe, of a varsity jersey, in luxe yarns as opposed to mesh and nylon.
11 February 2016
The woman for whom Hellessy is designed “does not wear short shorts,” saidSylvie Millsteinduring the presentation of her latest collection, and she certainly won’t have to. Long, fluid gowns in striped cotton-linen and ochre-colored silk commingled with easy, blush-toned pajama suiting and tuxedo-tailed strapless bodices worn over wide-leg trousers, promoting a different kind of “cool” entirely. An off-the-shoulder blouse with a thick black band across the chest and creamy white poet sleeves gathered at the cuffs, a light silk trench in that same shade of ochre boasting a literal twist of fabric at the back: It was a vision of summer in the city where the frayed hems come on the edges of a boxy, tailored T-shirt-style top—not your cutoffs.The presentation took place in Chelsea at Lori Bookstein Fine Art, where fate would have it that the current show—“Hiroyuki Hamada: Paintings,” opening September 10—served as a kind of underlining to Millstein’s aesthetic philosophy: an artful approach to a certain elegant restraint. “It’s about not doing too much,” said the designer, who looked to colors found in a city summer and primarily relied on all-natural fibers (linen, cotton, silk—and really, what more do you need in the sultriest of seasons?). She found her inspiration in the rooftop parties that absorb New Yorkers’ social lives from June through September, with all of the skyline’s sparkle (here seen in a V-neck cocktail-ready cotton lamé shift, its Art Deco silhouette echoing the era of some of Manhattan’s most lauded skyscrapers) and upward thrust (represented by the bold vertical stripe of a column dress and mid-calf-length extended pajama shirt tunic) implied therein.
10 September 2015
Hellessy designer Sylvie Millstein likes to cut through the b.s. For instance, her Resort collection was inspired by the glamour of the French Riviera, "but in the off-season," she said at her Soho apartment. "I want to relax. I'm not thinking about Brigitte Bardot on the beach."Millstein is making understated clothes that she wants to wear: "super-luxe" track pants, a poncho cut from Japanese hand-knit silk bouclé yarn, elongated cargo trousers, a cocoon cardigan cinched at the back. For day-to-night, there was a paprika-colored satin suit with a tassel closure, and a clever little mock wrap dress (because actual wrap dresses are never as flattering as they're meant to be). However, it was hard to imagine pulling any of these refined-but-standard pieces out of an anonymous lineup and calling them Hellessy. Millstein has a clear point of view, but she might need a few more seasons to establish her signature.
3 June 2015
Hellessy designer Sylvie Millstein's Fall collection was heavy on inspiration. Cold, foggy turn-of-the-century London as it was depicted in the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola filmBram Stoker's Draculawas the starting point. Music from the film's soundtrack wafted in the background at Millstein's art gallery presentation on Wednesday, creating quite the moody atmosphere. "I was thinking of Winona Ryder in that movie, about what her character would have worn if we were to fast-forward to the future," the designer said. "[She'd be] bundled up in knits and coats in a color palette of frost and fog, with an evening touch of red."Millstein has tended to favor a long and lean silhouette since the launch of her ready-to-wear line in 2013, so she paired the chunky knits with pieces that either hugged the body—such as a fluffy, fur-like cashmere cardigan worn with a skinny ribbed tunic and pencil skirt—or elongated it. For instance, a knee-length, dolman-sleeve mohair cardigan in charcoal gray was matched with a slouchy front-pocket turtleneck and a navy silk crepe gown that puddled at the floor.Although Hellessy is grounded in daywear, Millstein's quiet evening looks have done particularly well at retail. So there was a lot on offer here, from a color-blocked plunge-neck gown in heavy silk, to a navy Lurex number with a deep-V neckline tucked into a wide cummerbund. It makes sense that the fancier stuff is performing. Millstein's look is quite luxe—it will appeal to a customer who is drawn to extravagant but relaxed pieces, like a pair of satin crepe palazzo trousers. That sort of thing works well for those who actually subscribe to the notion of day-to-night dressing.
11 February 2015
Aren't there enough refined clothes on the planet to satisfy all who desire them? With Spring 2015, designer Sylvie Millstein made a pretty convincing argument that her 2-year-old line, Hellessy, deserves a spot in the thinking woman's already crowded wardrobe. "I really wanted to dress an aesthete," she said of this season's muse, a downtown gallery owner whose clothes must be cool and cultivated. Young Brooklyn artist Rachel Pontious loaned a few of her reimagined family portraits to serve as a backdrop at the Wednesday morning presentation, and Millstein's color palette—lots of ecru, olive, and poppy red—was inspired by the paintings. Millstein, who spent years working as a buying manager at Chanel, usually keeps her focus on long and lean silhouettes, with an emphasis on separates. This season there were also plenty of dress options, and even a few alternative evening gowns, including a black silk apron number and an ecru-and-poppy-striped canvas column with a uniquely ruffled waist. She paid close attention to the back, adding a shirred train to a stingray-printed silk maxi dress and an abbreviated version to a sleeveless linen blouse. Some of the most head-turning looks, though, were the most relaxed, including a pair of striped jersey sailor pants—"dramatic but also casual," said Millstein—and a Bolivian macramé top knotted into a houndstooth pattern, worn with a pair of black viscose Bermudas. Millstein is making headway at retail—Barneys is a big customer—which means her line is resonating with the customer. Maybe there is room for one more.
3 September 2014
Since launching Hellessy just over a year and a half ago, Sylvie Millstein has been quietly making waves with her refined take on casual luxury. Before relocating to New York from Paris and starting her line (the moniker is a mash-up of her first name with those of sons Hendrix and Lennox), Millstein was working behind the scenes in merchandising for nearly a decade at Chanel. "So I know about chic," she said at a preview of Hellessy's first Resort collection. "I know what women are looking for. For me, it's got to have that nonchalance. The clothes have to be timeless and flattering above all." Indeed, there's a certain French sensibility in the way Millstein avoids trends and ostentation in favor of cool, calm, and collected classics. Focusing on a fresh, neutral color palette, the designer elevated easy sportswear shapes such as an elongated T-shirt dress, which was paired with a chunky, hand-loomed hoodie. Knitwear is an expanding category (apparently, retailers including Barneys can't get enough of Hellessy's wovens), and another highlight was a blanket-like cashmere cardigan styled with a wispy camisole and shirred khaki leggings that had scrunched-up appeal. "I love the sensual way it shrugs off the shoulder," said Millstein. Elsewhere, a loose white wrap blouse shown with languid, wide-leg trousers also had an alluring softness. While the lineup's overall look was decidedly relaxed, Millstein introduced structure in the form of a snug canvas surplus jacket featuring a sculpted peplum flounce in back. Other winning moments included a petal pink off-the-shoulder dress; a supple leather overshirt shown with a body-skimming silk maxi dress; and a series of polished, dark indigo pieces that marked the label's first foray into denim. This carefully considered collection reflected Millstein's elegantly modern approach to wardrobe essentials, and showed that Hellessy is an emerging brand to watch.
8 June 2014