Fashion to have fun in

In 2002, Stacey Bendet set out to create the perfect pair of pants. The designer dreamed up a genius leg-lengthening, ultra-flattering design which became the foundation of her debut 20-piece collection that kickstarted her career. “I look back at that time and I just felt as if the pieces I was creating didn’t exist in the world,” Bendet explains. Nowadays, she continues to plug the holes in our closets with her whimsical wares, from waist-cinching, wide-leg pants and perfectly tailored velvet smoking jackets, to floor-skimming leopard-print maxi dresses and dance-floor-ready sequinned minis.

The New York-based designer specializes in clothes that make women feel powerful: “I want every woman who walks into my store to find something she loves, something that makes her smile, and something that fits her perfectly. The Alice + Olivia woman is fun, bold, strong, and she loves fashion.” Defined by feminine silhouettes, playful prints and bold color, hers are the type of clothes that will inject joy into your day as soon as you put them on: “I think our clothes have wearable glamor. We allow women to make each outfit her own. And I think women today love print and color and clothes that uplift. That’s something I want to achieve with every collection I design.”

Bendet was born with a love of fashion: “I remember at age two wearing red patent leather shoes and jean jackets. I insisted on this look every single day,” she explains jovially. “My mother actually bribed me to stop drinking from a bottle with the promise of a new pair of patent leather shoes.” And each season, she brings that same joy of dressing up that she experienced as a child into her collections. For FW19, she focused on fantasy dressing – “I wanted clothes that felt as if they were part of a dark fairy tale; rich colors, beautiful fabrics, detailed embellishments, golds, camels – rich tones that feel luxurious. And it is truly the season of the suit.”

This fall, she has also teamed up with NET-A-PORTER to design an exclusive party capsule, inspired by the decadence of 70s glamor. “We wanted to create looks that felt like modern versions of the Studio 54 world,” she says. One of the key pieces is a fabulously festive ombre blue and gold sequin jumpsuit that “sparkles with elegance” and is destined for the dance floor. Also, consider swapping your go-to LBD for Alice + Olivia's metallic, snake-print Diaz mini dress. With its structured shoulders and ruched wrap-effect silhouette, it creates an enviable, hourglass silhouette. Pair it with statement earrings and stilettos for high-octane look that is guaranteed to turn heads.

Most importantly for Bendet, she wants Alice + Olivia to be “a brand to help women rise”. She listens intently to her customers – which includes a coterie of stylish women from Leighton Meester to Reece Witherspoon – in order to keep creating designs that will continue to bring joy into our closets. “We live in a world of communication and collaboration, so it is really important now more than ever to understand your customer and to listen to her.”