Who knew how luxe knitwear could be? The core of Ryan Roche s dreamy eponymous range are sweaters so sumptuous as to earn her a constituency of some of New York s coolest, many of whom were on hand for last night s Fall presentation. Roche works predominantly in a palette of pinks lovely enough to sway even the most pink-resistant among us, with an eye for tonal dressing informed by the landscapes of her Idaho upbringing and current life upstate.
On offer were a mix of Roche classics, like an oversize fisherman s sweater, hand-knit loosely to expose flashes of skin when worn solo, and a new buttery, ankle-grazing cashmere poncho (also available in black—if you must). There s an undeniable Catskills-bohemian romance to Roche s clothes, but she never sacrifices sophistication. These pieces would look equally at home in, say, a Condé Nast elevator as at the farmer s market.
It wasn t all slouch here, either: One cable-knit sweater, which dipped dangerously low in the back, had sex appeal in spades, and Roche s wovens were stellar. The influence of Annie Hall yielded some more structured pieces, like a cashmere coat in soft peach (also stunning was a silk-lined cape with a floppy-tie closure). The blush shearling vest, one of a handful of pieces dyed using avocado pits, is going to top a lot of wish lists.
