Rachel Roy (Q5754)
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Rachel Roy is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Rachel Roy |
Rachel Roy is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Since we last checked in with Rachel Roy, the designer has relocated her family to Los Angeles. "What, really, do we have to do other than what's right for ourselves?" she posed at a preview in her New York studio. In a way, the West Coast move has given Roy a fresh outlook on her business, which just turned ten years old. Her message for Fall was "to make looking feminine-but-cool as simple as possible," she said. With this in mind, Roy offered several dresses that gave the impression of layered separates. For example, the fifth look appeared to be a lace slip worn underneath a floral V-neck top and slim navy pencil skirt; in fact, it was just one piece, just one decision for her customer to make instead of several. Throughout the lineup, Roy collaged together materials such as printed silk and delicate Chantilly on high-slit skirts, or Lurex-flecked tweed with iridescent jacquard on novelty suits. At times, the result felt a bit overwrought (the addition of metallic leather details didn't help). Still, the handful of head-to-toe Venetian red looks here was nothing short of striking, and a gray wool topper was a nice fusion of the classic peacoat and a tough bomber jacket.
5 February 2014
A pair of wings was the symbol that Rachel Roy chose as her logo when she launched her label nearly ten years ago, and she revisited it for Spring. They represent "strength and elegance taking flight," said Roy, who embroidered bird wings on white denim pencil skirts and slim jeans, and also showed the feathered motif on intarsia knit pullovers with novelty appeal. Elsewhere, she updated sophisticated everyday staples like tailored suits (a standout marigold two-piecer with a DB jacket and flared trousers had a slight retro vibe), crisp menswear-inspired shirts, and a strapless jumpsuit featuring a built-in bustier. "I'm trying to help the girls out here," said the designer. The lineup didn't present any particularly new ideas, but honing what she does best worked well for Roy here.
5 September 2013
Rachel Roy designs her collections with her career-woman customer—who often heads straight from the office to cocktails—in mind. This season, in addition to offering the buy-now-wear-now separates and versatile day dresses she's known for, Roy said she had fun mixing in pieces that have more of a quintessential Resort vibe, which were inspired by a recent trip she took to the Amalfi Coast. Hey, working girls need vacations too!Digital underwater prints on breezy blouses and slim pencil skirts evoked swims in the Mediterranean, while relaxed silk trousers featuring an allover mosaic tile pattern nodded to the region's architectural influences. A variety of exotic animal prints (leopard, cheetah, and cow hide) added commercial appeal to the lineup, as did the well-priced sweaters (an off-the-shoulder reversible pullover was a particular standout) and transitional outerwear items like a structured biker jacket cut from bonded leather. Roy included several evening looks that will also make a splash, including a sheer chiffon maxi dress with a pretty grosgrain belt and caviar beading, and a fluid jumpsuit with "spider" mesh panels similar to the all-in-one number she wore to the CFDA Awards.
30 May 2013
"I really like the idea of opulence, but refined opulence, so it isn't like her majesty coming down the runway," said Rachel Roy of her Fall lineup, which debuted today with a digital runway show rather than a formal presentation. "I thought, why not give something different a shot?" she explained at the shoot. "We're always trying to squeeze a handful of editors in the room when there are 5 million people also begging to be in there. With this, I can reach more of our fans and tell the story of the collection in a new way." The video, which featured multiple camera angles, zoom shots, and jump cuts, did high-definition justice (or as much as it could) to the tactile fabrics and decorative embroideries Roy incorporated. A chambord-colored bomber jacket with spiky beads at the shoulders and metallic jacquard panels, which was paired with a brocade velour pencil skirt, illustrated the mix of materials here. Ditto goes for a white leather T-shirt shown with slim stretch macramé trousers. There were a few eclectic ensembles that felt a bit too busy, but those could usually be broken down into their individual pieces, which were very wearable for the most part. Lace-up stiletto boots that were equal parts sexy and sturdy, according to Roy, finished off each look.
13 February 2013
Rachel Roy has a keen interest in developing countries, including Kenya and Haiti (she visited Port-au-Prince last year to brainstorm entrepreneurial ideas with local women), and she articulated that with her latest pre-fall collection, which combined influences from those cultures with the designer's urban sensibility. A quilted, cropped jacket came in a batik-inspired print, for example, while a fluid black dress with a handkerchief hemline was embellished with gold mirrored plates. Aside from such artisanal touches, what stood out in this lineup were Roy's office-appropriate (for the non-corporate job) alternatives to the suit. Wide-leg silk trousers paired effortlessly with shrunken blazers that had slightly exaggerated shoulders. A leather topcoat with a marbleized effect and wool insets can be worn with matching skinny pants for a head-to-toe look. Gesturing at a slinky metallic knit pullover, the designer explained that she wants women to toss on a sweater just like they would a T-shirt. Elevating the everyday staple is exactly what Roy does best.
28 November 2012
The Spring Rachel Roy lineup advanced the designer's inclusive approach to easy style with fluid silk pieces in a variety of "dreamy and emotional" prints, as Roy called them, which she mixed and matched. An abstract skull-and-bird pattern reminiscent of X-rays came on a wide-leg crepe de chine jumpsuit with an asymmetric neckline, as well as on an updated take on the caftan. Other feminine looks included a delicate chiffon eyelet dress and a slim illusion-print pantsuit, which got a glam boost when styled with accessories like crystal-studded platform sandals or sleek python cross-body bags. The finale number—a one-shoulder amethyst silk gown with a thunderboltlike peplum cascade edged in contrasting lime-colored raffia—provided the only moment of real drama in a collection that was otherwise utterly wearable.
10 September 2012
"Color is the skin of the world," said Rachel Roy, quoting abstract artist Sonia Delaunay, who inspired her latest Resort collection. "I love that Sonia said that," she continued, "because clothes are effectively our skin, and I've always been all about brights." Roy isn't the first designer to take cues from Delaunay this year (Doo.Ri, Milly, and Trina Turk have also name-checked the artist recently), but her longtime affinity for color and playful prints meshed particularly well with Delaunay's ground-breaking textile work.Each season, Roy expands her capsule of best-selling, versatile frocks; this time around, she focused on color blocking. A long-sleeved crepe shift with a relaxed silhouette that juxtaposed saturated amethyst and magenta stood out. Other memorable moments included an allover bejeweled white number (it's about as heavy as one of those lead aprons they make you wear while getting x-rayed, but is sure to make a dazzling impression) and a two-piece jacquard set that Roy explained is more accessible (read: retail-friendly) when broken up into its individual pieces.On the side, Roy has been collaborating with renowned spiritualist and all-around Renaissance man Deepak Chopra on her jewelry line. They met on Twitter. "I totally stalked him to make this work," she said. "The result was really personal, and I love sharing that with my customers." Lucite collar necklaces with carefully selected moonstones and lightweight acrylic cuffs nicely complemented the mod vibe of the collection.
30 May 2012
Rachel Roy has been preoccupied with modern landscapes after watching an independent documentary calledWomen in the Dirt, which spotlights eight female architects who have designed groundbreaking outdoor spaces that blur the line between nature and the man-made. With this in mind, Roy balanced linear silhouettes with an organic palette of granite, eucalyptus, sapphire, "foliage" orange, and garnet. Borrowing from the elements, there was a washed silk color-blocked blouse that gave the impression of sunlight reflected on water and a graphic rose-print shirtdress with a tuxedolike tail. The biggest crowd-pleaser (which happened to be Roy's favorite as well) was clearly the striking fuchsia set with slim trousers and a high-neck, open-back top that looked like a vest worn in reverse. Aside from that standout, the collection was perhaps too down-to-earth and lacked the creative layering and pizazz we've come to expect from Roy in recent seasons.
12 February 2012
Rachel Roy has been busy putting the finishing touches on a renovated showroom, which she's modeled after a pre-war Parisian apartment. She's filled the open and airy space with gritty concrete sculptures of the female form by New York-based artist Jo-Ann Brody. Brody's pieces inspired Roy's new pre-fall collection, as did the work of Louise Bourgeois and the Art Deco-era sensation Tamara de Lempicka. The common thread tying together all three influences is the idea of "strong, badass women doing what they loved in a time when that was difficult," Roy said. "It's my favorite era—the hair got shorter, clothes got looser, and people embraced a more masculine edge."Roy interpreted the Art Deco theme fairly literally on pieces like a pretty, drop-waist dress with sunburst pleating fanning out into a cascade on one side, or a gauzy sweater with a pattern that looked like a zoomed-in shot of piano keys. Personally, Roy prefers to "borrow from the boys" and gravitates toward the relaxed tweed suiting separates that she's pushed in recent seasons. But she has also built up her business on eveningwear, so there were a few statement looks here ripe for after-hours carousing or maybe the red carpet. Case in point: a turquoise dress cut from hammered silk with a built-in rose gold choker necklace and long sleeves slit along the inner arms for a flash of skin.
29 November 2011
For her Spring collection, Rachel Roy looked to colonial Vietnam in the twenties and thirties. "It was an era when women explored and broke with tradition," Roy said after her presentation today. "I was interested to see what a woman [in that era] might wear from a gentleman's wardrobe in a modern, 2012 way." There was quite a bit of borrowing from the boys here, with slouchy suiting separates like a draped jacket and relaxed, cuffed trousers, which paired with an on-trend washed-silk pajama shirt.Black and white looks, which made up most of the collection, were a nice counterpoint to all the neons and saturated brights we've been seeing this week (and the past few seasons, for that matter). A pair of perforated white leather shorts with snakeskin trim nodded at this season's ruling sporty trend. And bold jacquard knit pieces featured a black and white print that Roy found on Vietnamese tile work. The Asian influence also came into play with subtle mandarin collars and kimono wrap dresses that were pretty, modern, and wearable. Things lagged a little in the eveningwear department, but that could be because Roy herself has been taking a different, gown-free approach to red-carpet dressing recently. Last month, the designer got quite a few mixed reviews after showing up at a film premiere in pinstriped men's pajamas and heels.
11 September 2011