For his first women’s RtA collection since the brand opened its Paris showroom, Robert Liptak reverted to a more commercial, denim-heavy approach for the Los Angeles-based label that started charting a luxury course last year with 20 percent higher price points and more European production.
“I wanted to be more playful than last time,” he said, name checking ’70s heroines like Farrah Fawcett and Jerry Hall, as well as disco and the film “Barbarella” among his influences for laser-cut skinny jeans with the look of fishnet; acid wash cargo pants and classic four-pocket jackets, and velvet denim tailored into a double-breasted blazer minidress and flares.
Liptak continued to work in slinky jersey, offering snug button downs, ruched long skirts, and cutout mini dresses, and brought a sense of whimsy with cropped T-shirts in a mysterious “all eyes on me” print.
A black paneled lace slipdress, lace turtleneck and Mod leather mini added notes of sophistication, as did tuxedo tailoring.
The boho/rocker trend hasn’t been much on the fashion radar for fall, but the collection was easy to understand and salable, particularly if it were sit next to advanced contemporary collections. As a luxury brand, RtA’s future still remains to be seen, though. Whereas Liptak seems to have nailed the DNA of the men’s collections, the women’s is still a work in progress.
