Since arriving at Sonia Rykiel a year ago, Julie de Libran has tapped into the French label s roots, but today she was in New York showing off her Resort collection at Ladurée Soho to a full house that included her pal Sofia Coppola. The Manhattan setting was appropriate; the lineup had a sportif spin that felt distinctly American—American circa Studio 54 s glory days, with quilted satin track jackets worn with shorts or culottes and colorful satin platform sandals. A jean jacket embellished with star-shaped pins, teamed with a matching pencil skirt, looked like it owed a little something to the U.S. of A., too.
Rykiel s glam bona fides, of course, are well established, and de Libran delivered on them via the house s signature rainbow stripes, done up in vivid sequins on little dresses. When they appeared on the brand s iconic knits or a trim cardigan jacket and a simple daytime shift, the stripes came off a bit more innocent. There s a good chance we ll be seeing a lot of them out and about in the coming months. In a short time, de Libran has given Rykiel a profile it hasn t enjoyed in years. The key to making her revival stick will be banging out more of those kind of super-recognizable pieces, the things women wear not to the nightclub necessarily but in their everyday lives when they interact with other women. A strong handbag offering, including a bucket bag done up in many different ways, will help things along.
