A search for security? A return to a safer time? A meeting at the Junior League? Alice Roi s Fall collection suggested all of these things and more.
Roi s inspiration was "the days of the debutantes"—although she clearly wasn t thinking about gin-swilling Jazz Age nymphets; hers are a more sedate group who wear Ferragamo flats and buy investment clothes. Even when showing edgier ideas, Roi has always been a strong tailor, and this collection s simple lines showed off her skill. Palazzo pants hung perfectly off the models hips, an ankle-length ivory velvet coat had just the right flare and a wool jersey dress skimmed the body without a hitch.
The clothes did occasionally get a little too serious. A straightforward red cashmere knit dress would need to be worn with a lot of attitude—or by someone under 25—to avoid coming off as starchy, and some of the velvet pieces sat rather heavily. Roi s wit shone through, though, in the fuzzy ivory fisherman s knits: a shrunken hoody cardigan with poet sleeves, a halter dress, a sleeveless top. And the glitzy red-and-gold brocade pants worn with a skintight ivory top and red cashmere tank? Just the thing to bring out the bad girl trapped inside every well-behaved deb.
