For this year’s collection, she took last season’s fragmentation and harvested it into a beautiful spring unveiling.
For Michelle Smith, the co-founder and creative director of Milly, her Spring 2018 line was a welcomed departure from her past collection.
Last fashion week, Smith was still struggling with the outcome of the election, a „dispirited energy“ reflected in the creations for her fall line.
„During the time I was designing this collection, the world changed dramatically. The election left me feeling defeated, especially as a woman, “ she had professed in February 2017.
For this year’s collection, she took that fragmentation and harvested it into a beautiful spring unveiling.
„Springboarding off of my previous collection „Fractured“ and with what was happening in the world, I wanted to look inward and to love myself as a woman.“
Aptly called „Wild Flower“, this new ready-to-wear-line is a celebration of the delicate yet strong woman. „My design process is always really personal and I always look to what I’m feeling, “ the designer began. She looked to flowers for the inspiration behind her new designs, a motif that decorated the store throughout.
„We as women are wild flowers, delicate and soft, fluid and lovely, but so strong, “ her show notes call out. Think bright florals, lovely prints, crisp pleats and the like for her new season.
This message is emulated not only by in pop up space — a sunny, white reflective shop in SoHo, decorated with ambient flowers and rainbow installations — but by the overall mood of the store as well. In asserting that she wanted to create an experience for her customers, Smith took Milly off the runway for the first time since 2004.
„For me, it’s about the experience. Instead of people coming and sitting and watching, I wanted them to be in the experience, “ she stated.
Music blasting, the space was packed to the brim with influencers, fashion affecionados and the Milly gang, not to mention au naturale models and a pack of photographers. It’s an upbeat space, a lovely and lively place that encourages creativity, freedom and more.
„Every piece is laced with so much more. Everything from the folds to the cascades is filled with a place of love, “ she explained.
