Adam Lippes is in the midst of opening new stores on two continents that have him crisscrossing the globe: Osaka made its debut last month and his London Mount Street boutique is scheduled for September. (Two more Tokyo pop-ups are also in the works.)
No wonder Lippes has escapism on the brain. His new collection for resort is an idealized travel wardrobe for a winter holiday spent tucked away in a chalet in the Alps. “It’s the coziest collection I’ve ever done, and also the most sporty in a way,” he said at the lookbook shoot. The marled doubleface cashmere of a sweater and pants set lived up to that estimation and then some. Their wearer wouldn’t even need a fire to keep warm.
Of course, she’s not spending all her time in front of the fire. Outerwear in fluffy cashmere designed to resemble downy polar fleece is just as touchably soft. Ditto an icy white Mongolian lamb robe. In contrast, a tailored coat in navy cashmere might come off as austere, but a close inspection reveals subtle floral cord embroidery. Elsewhere, cropped bomber puffers made sweet accompaniments to both a dropped waist full skirt and a pencil skirt in paisley embossed silk.
In terms of tailoring, there were rich Lesage tweeds with hand-pulled fringe trim, more mannish Prince of Wales plaid, and the balloon pants he introduced for spring are back. Despite their bold proportions, they proved to be a top selling item; here, he cut them in the supplest of knits, black silk lamé which flashes gold depending on the angle. Worn with a matching button-down shirt, they’re a tempting alternative to a cocktail dress. On that subject, he had a little (as in short) Little Black Dress and a streamlined sheath in sheared brown mink. “It’s so tactile,” he said, “why not?”
