Lela Rose Spring 2012

I woke up Sunday morning eager to get to the tents, if only to escape all the September 11th coverage on TV, on the Internet, on Facebook, and so on. It turns out I wasn't the only one—Lela Rose's show was so packed, I ended up wedged into a back corner of the standing section (hence the less than stellar quality of my photos)—and Mandy Moore, Susan Sarandon, and her daughter, Eva Amurri, all showed up too. Rose began with a tasteful homage, playing John Lennon's "Imagine" in darkness, then got down to business with a characteristically ladylike show inspired by, uncharacteristically for her client base, trips to Vegas and Coney Island. Set to the music of one of my favorite new bands, Cults, the result was a perfect balance of whimsy and polish, with slightly off-kilter casual looks bursting with mixed prints and colorblocking, and more refined evening dresses finished with lace. Rose's clothes are decidedly uptown, but you get the feeling their wearers must be fabulously fun party guests.