Tracy Reese was “really feeling one-shoulder this season,” she said over Zoom, adding that she’s not a fan of “tricky” clothes, but does want her collection to feel interesting. To that end, for resort 2025, she used the silhouette for tops with sash details, dresses with drawstring waists, and a flouncy cropped blouse. Small details—like mini pom poms along the side seams of wide-leg pants and eyelet peeking out from the hem of slip dresses—added a touch of whimsy to a collection that allowed the wearer to “look feminine but still feel powerful,” Reese said. “I think it s great to be able to balance the two.” Oversized, pajama-inspired looks and gauzy fabrications with smocked detailing will allow them to be comfortable, too.
The collection’s cohesion is not so obvious; prints run the gamut from candy-colored stripes to a trellis ironwork, and the range includes both slouchy suiting and structured, A-line mini dresses. But there’s a through-line in Reese’s use of eco-friendly fabrics like washed organic linen (for a boxy, cropped button-down), Tencel jersey (for cutout dresses), and Naia satin (for slip skirts). A leader in sustainably-made fashion, Reese is approaching two years in the Detroit design studio that also houses the Hope for Flowers showroom, apprenticeship program, and production unit. (The aforementioned one-shoulder dresses will be fully produced there.)
All of Reese’s prints come to life in Detroit as well, like the oversized gingham on a pair of linen short-shorts, and an overcoat, among other separates. “I took a giant piece of watercolor paper and mixed the paint, and I drew a very light grid and mixed my tones and filled in my boxes,” Reese says of creating the gingham. “I m always a little intimidated when I get started,” but it s worth the effort because sometimes it works out.
