Coverage. Not an easy thing to pull off in eveningwear, but it s what Pamella Roland s customer wants. For Pre-Fall, the designer made a point of offering more than a few sleeved gowns, managing to forgo the frump so often associated with additional fabric. A berry-colored boatneck number glided over the body, and the draped back of a champagne satin column softly skimmed the shoulders. Time spent in Paris over the past year served as what felt like tangential inspiration for Roland. The season s jumpsuit, for instance, was done in hand-painted French lace. "It s what the stylists are asking for," the designer said of the trendy piece. Indeed, while Roland s tendency to overdo it wasn t totally brushed away—neoprene appliqué flowers maybe aren t so effective on a formal ball gown—the collection was generally on point. An ombré-dyed mink coat with python accents was something that Roland s most-coveted client, the kind of woman who buys gowns at full price a few times a year, would love to make part of her repertoire.
