That Adam Lippes has a thing for flowers, labradoodles, and interiors as eclectically appointed as they are exacting is understood by all who know him. Save for those lucky enough to have enjoyed a summertime spin through the Berkshires in his forest green 1972 Mercedes Benz 280SE 4.5, his passion for fine automobiles is rather more of a hidden trait, but that changes now. For pre-fall, Lippes has tapped into his love of cars, producing a collection with a sportier, more streamlined, and, here and there, sexier vibe than his clients are accustomed to. It’s a collection for “short, hot nights,” he said.
Starting with the obvious, there’s not a floral print in sight. He preferred bold Grand Prix–inspired stripes for his graphic treatment this season, using them on a silk taffeta funnel-neck anorak and a matching midi skirt in silk crepe. More often than not, though, the skirts here were mini-length. Micro-mini, even. Lippes did them in glossy black lambskin, a black double-face silk duchesse finished with an exaggerated bow, and a crisp wool gabardine of the kind found in luxury car interiors; those were finished with car-seat buckles. Naturally, there was racing-car red on a delicate drop stitch knit dress with a diamond motif lifted from his new logo, as well as on a skin-baring bodysuit worn with chinos that managed to be both slouchy and aerodynamic at the same time, a neat trick.
Lippes does a nice business in event dresses, and summer is high season. This time around his most enticing propositions were a pair of coolly confident top-and-pants sets, strapless and tunic-length in sheer plissé or a racer-back trapeze with fuller trousers. Drive, she said.
