“If I don’t feel like sleeping in it, it normally doesn’t make it into the collection.” So spake Raquel Allegra about the ethos that’s earned her a staunch following of women who like their luxury with a side of slouchy bohemia. Fall saw Allegra playing more to the gypset elements of her design DNA, taking a few generous steps back from the deconstruction and distressing she’s known for, and upping the ante where pattern and material are concerned. The shapes on offer were still simple ones (collarless shirts, straight-legged baggy trousers, and flowing jersey T-shirt dresses) but with plenty of flair. A basic fitted maxi dress in jersey found new life thanks to a pulsating tie-dye print that carved out a sort of bombshell-does-Berkeley hourglass figure, an anomaly in Allegra’s universe of the boxy and the billowy. This sense of play seemed to mark the bulk of the collection. While the use of destroyed fabrics was scaled back, they still got an homage in the form of a new print, created using a photograph of the designer’s signature cobwebby slashes and laddering. Cashmere pullovers felt almost literally electric, blasted as they were with a kinetic allover tie-dye. But perhaps the real star was Allegra’s “pajama dressing” take on suiting, an area on which she seems to be training her sights more with each new collection—to praiseworthy results. These latest forays, particularly faded striped drawstring pants that made for a mean combo alongside a buttery leather popover, felt sophisticated, easy, and even a bit debauched. The sort of clothes that could be easily shoved into a weekender bag for a last-minute jaunt—just plain cool. And, of course, eminently sleep-able.
—Kristin Anderson
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