Resort 2015 A.L.C.
June 12, 2014
"I've been really feeling poplin and starched collars," said Andrea Lieberman at a recent Resort preview. This lent a new sense of crispness to her latest A.L.C. lineup, which was full of fresh shirting—a previously under-addressed category for the contemporary brand. The collection opened with a white button-up paired with a silver leather biker jacket, which set a clean, modern tone. Classic polo shirts were updated in black cotton with sporty zipper closures, so the summery staple felt less preppy and more cool, particularly when shown untucked, with a sharp pleated skirt. A series of geometric lace pieces had a similar linear appeal but still seemed very on-brand with their vaguely tribal undercurrents. The designer stuck to a mainly black-and-white palette but mixed in occasional pops of chartreuse and acid blue (found, for example, on day dresses that gave the impression of layered separates). "I love colors that come across as punk," said Lieberman. Elsewhere, she revi
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Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear A.L.C.
February 18, 2014
"The more we grow and expand, the more I continue to dig deep and find the brand's DNA," said Andrea Lieberman at a Fall preview. As usual, the A.L.C. designer succeeded in creating clean essentials for the modern wardrobe, but she included more personal details this time around that brought a new meaningfulness to the collection. For example, hip-hop was a formative influence on Lieberman (who was previously a celeb stylist with serious street cred), and she paid tribute to it here by tweaking basics such as a classic white blouse, which came with edgy, built-in bandannas. By the same token, she whipped up the perfect navy hoodie with endless layering appeal, and also added sporty nylon "boxer" accents to the waistbands of tailored trousers. Meanwhile, in a contemporary market where seemingly everyone is doing updated sweats, she put her own spin on the trend with a pair of full-on, tear-away pants done in luxe leather (note: definitely not for the gym). Elsewhere, Liebe
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Spring 2014 Ready-to-Wear A.L.C.
September 17, 2013
Andrea Lieberman may have begun her career as a stylist, but her aesthetic is worlds away from the OTT, more-is-more vibe that often reigns in magazine pages. Lieberman says she is dedicated to creating "an understated sense of refinement" with easy, everyday clothes that will get noticed but are never attention-seeking. She sticks to "what feels right now," and addresses trends on her own terms. The result is of-the-moment, without seeming here today, gone tomorrow.
For Spring, the designer introduced more athletic influences, but kept the overall look elevated with pieces including sophisticated knit separates done in bold rugby stripes and tailored jumpsuits with built-in sporty bandeau details. The silhouette was loose and inviting, with standouts such as a relaxed mint-colored trench as well as fluttery, pleated chiffon skirts with drawstring waistbands and full trousers. Leather jackets are perennial highlights at A.L.C., and this time around, a bright orange bike
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Resort 2014 A.L.C.
June 13, 2013
Andrea Lieberman practices an easy, everyday elegance, and gives A.L.C.'s canon of wardrobe staples a modern update each season. For Resort, the designer showed effortless yet evolved items like straightforward tanks split open in the back for an unexpected flash of skin (she built in thoughtful bralike straps and a bib detail, so her customer won't feel overly exposed), as well as leather crop tops and track pants—the kind of separates most girls seem to want right now. Every A.L.C. collection includes at least one or two covetable biker jackets, and in addition to offering the signature in standard leather, Lieberman also did one in wrinkly boiled cotton that nailed the concept of transitional dressing. Elsewhere, checkerboard jacquard pieces including a boxy, menswear-inspired car coat added a bit of structure and polish. In keeping with Lieberman's laid-back Los Angeles vibe, everything here was meant to be mixed and matched as desired, which speaks to the designer's refreshingly accessible
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Pre-Fall 2013 A.L.C.
January 15, 2013
"I have a renewed focus on the business side of things, and it's really helped me see the brand's identity more clearly than ever before," Andrea Lieberman said, discussing her pre-fall collection for A.L.C. According to the designer, the new lineup is "about updating our mainstays and continuing to do modern, clean, and effortless pieces that women actually want to buy." It was anchored by well-executed classics, including crisp trenches and quilted leather biker jackets, which are perennial sales hits. The designer also expanded her knitwear offerings, showing go-to wardrobe additions like flattering A-line skirts and chunky sweaters. At times, it actually seemed like there was too much of an emphasis on commercial basics—perhaps because we've seen more envelope-pushing stuff from Lieberman before. Who can blame her in a retail-oriented season like this? Still, we're hoping Fall will introduce more directional fare, like the standout outfit here: a boxy top cut from soft
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Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear A.L.C.
September 24, 2012
Andrea Lieberman was recently named one of the 2012 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists. "I've worked really hard for the past few years and it feels great to officially be a part of the conversation," she said at a preview of her latest collection. But with 200-plus current stockists, she's been part of it, at least as far as retail is concerned, for seasons, and she's already got a leg up on many of her competitors in terms of sales. Compared to collections past, this lineup had a more casual vibe and was filled with updated, everyday pieces like tapered cargo pants with extra spacious pockets and featherweight cotton mesh tops with fluttery sleeves featuring trapunto stitching inspired by traditional kimonos. Continuing on that Japanese kick (also touched on by others like Miuccia Prada and Peter Dundas at Emilio Pucci this Spring), Lieberman showed kaleidoscopic shibori prints on silk maxi wrap skirts and slim trousers with woodblock stripes. Ultimately, the item we're betting a
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Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear A.L.C.
February 21, 2012
"Nostalgic in a modern way," is how Andrea Lieberman described her latest collection for A.L.C. Often multiple nostalgias mixed. The slim checked wool trousers in look 24, for example, conjured up the late-sixties ska era for the designer. The outfit's accompanying leather bomber with a street-ready coyote-fur hood recalled "the late eighties—like when the New York downtown crowd and hip-hop scene came together at clubs like Area and Madame Rosa's," as Lieberman put it. Not that you'd necessarily need to be conversant in the club-going ways of decades past to get in on the action. The DB navy peacoat, shown here with a curly lamb lapel, hit on the oversize, borrowed-from-boyfriend outerwear trend that will be everywhere in the fall. A string of covetable (admittedly non-PETA-friendly) cropped jackets featured various combinations of kangaroo fur, shearling, and baby calf hair. And still-selling silk pajama sets came in both macro and micro paisley prints. Nostalgic or not
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Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear A.L.C.
September 19, 2011
Andrea Lieberman flew into New York on a red eye this morning for a few whistle-stop Spring previews, then was off to Paris by 3 p.m. for a fabric trade show—economy class, no less, the better to save up funds to spend on her line. Lieberman herself is quite down-to-earth, but her designs for A.L.C., while still straightforward, are racheting up the flash. A sharp, collarless mint green blazer paired with a crisp button-up and second-skin leather pintuck trousers balances effortless polish with a touch of grit. And an easy shirtdress in "safety orange" washed silk was long and unbuttoned up to the waist with an attached mid-thigh slip, for a flash of leg that was just right. Lieberman is all about those little tweaks that elevate a classic (or not-so-classic) staple. Case in point, the cutout racer-back on a stretchy "baseball jersey" dress or the built-in bras on several crepe jumpsuits, which outnumbered gowns by far in the eveningwear category. Jumpsuit formal has bee
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