As much as we love the comfort-first loungewear trend, it’s exciting to see fashion labels forecasting a future in which we finally trade our house slippers for real shoes—be it casual sneakers or the heels we abandoned last March. Among them is Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet, whose Pre-Fall 2021 collection celebrates the return of joyous summer occasions: fancy dinner dates, elegant wedding receptions, and nights on the town with friends. The star of the designer’s conceptual narrative is the “happy bohemian,” or the social-butterfly with an endless summer spirit.
The Pre-Fall 2021 collection is a sharp contrast from Pre-Fall 2020, which embraced an earthy, muted color palette: think boho-Western-meets-seventies-cool. As we look forward to this summer, Bendet’s embracing softer, flowier silhouettes with feminine details like braided chiffon and lace ruffles. These details are present in the form of ethereal goddess dresses, knit halter dresses, and vintage-inspired blouses. But even though Bendet’s about to make delicate silhouettes a thing again, she’s giving them a sporty, comfortable twist.
Bendet’s upcoming line makes a strong case for mixing up our summer wardrobes with the comfortable essentials we stocked up on in 2020 and new conversation-starting pieces. As seen in the Pre-Fall 2021 lookbook, Bendet pairs elevated athleisure and tiered skirts with casual footwear like Nikes and All-Stars. She took cues from the Year of Athleisure (2020), to ensure that pieces are designed to look good dressed up or down. We have our eyes on a two-piece set in Pantone’s vivid 2021 Color of the Year (See: Look 5) perfect for wearing with sneakers or heels, and a three-piece monochrome mint blazer set (Look 7) for which you can do the same.
Click through the slideshow below for a look at the Alice + Olivia Pre-Fall 2020 collection, expected to launch in late June.
