It’s Time To Wrap Up What Alice and Olivia Are Selling

We can discuss the poem by Mahogany L. Browne (“MLB”) a little later so that we can focus on the collection now. Looking at this presentation for Alice and Olivia by Stacey Bendet, I was pleasantly surprised. But then, I looked deeper and quickly yearned for more.
There isn’t much to comment on with this collection because the anchor is the poetry by MLB. I said I would get to this later, but this is later.
Something positive that I took from the presentation was that this collection was all about bright and bold colours. I initially thought, why? In fall-winter, the colour palette is sleeker, sexier and neutral with passive shades. Sometimes, to add a bit of romance to your look, a pop of colour is necessary. So here comes the intrigue. What could Alice and Olivia present with this ‘pop of colour’ to make me think, wow? What an impressive collection.
It turns out not much. Most of the garments feel uneventful. I see it as Forever 21 being sponsored by a wealthy nightclub owner. I could see a few girls wearing this outfit sitting in a VIP booth at the back of a club. Saying that I don’t know what’s worse. The club or wearing bright colours in a dark environment.
From everything I had seen in closets and street style in previous years, I expected a lot more. The collection feels like Boohoo with a bigger budget—unclassic colours with primitive fabric choices.
Final thoughts on Alice and Olivia
I expected some upscale street-style destination for eclectic and fashion-happy lovers. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few standout pieces which you can see in the header image. However, outside of that, I cannot develop something else.
My expectations may have been mismanaged, but can you blame me? Alice and Olivia was one of the go-to stores in the mid-2010s. Everyone was rocking the styles. That’s why I mentioned that the poem by MLB was the main attraction earlier. Outside of that, what else is there to look at? I don’t know. SS23 may take a different creative direction. One that is grounded in something other than the past but looks ahead to the idea of creativity and beauty to lift women.
Sama is the Editor in Chief of SSEDITORIAL Magazine. She currently oversees the creative direction of the magazine after ending her role as Runway Director to develop the SSEDITORIAL RUNWAY division. When Sama is not leading the team. She likes to contribute, primarily to the high fashion section of the magazine.
Model Diversity
Poem by Mahogany L. Browne
Collection Depth
Progressive Designs