Who knew American designer Adam Lippes was such a Francophile? This season, Lippes’s ADAM collection was inspired by French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg’s character in The City of Your Final Destination.
The use of ivory lace, eyelet, and chiffon seemed a bit mature, but still managed to provide a sense of prairie prettiness. Countryside aesthetics hardened by leather gave the show its edge. For the hair, Rudi Lewis’s sumo wrestler high buns (said to be inspired by someone from the ADAM design team) helped modernize the French femme look.
However, ADAM’s best piece was the final one: an intricately embroidered cut-out chiffon gown that challenged Lippes’s past underwear and separates-inspired pieces.
Perhaps ADAM, recently acquired by Kellwood, a St. Louis-based clothing giant, is moving up a tier. From the look of the latest collection, it certainly appears so.
