Why A.L.C. Is The Go-To Brand For Understated Luxury

Luxurious layering; pared-back cool; beautifully crafted closet mainstays… While many designers pride themselves on delivering standout, grandiose gowns for A-list events, Andrea Lieberman – founder of LA-based label A.L.C. – has been quietly crafting the kind of confidence-boosting basics every woman’s wardrobe needs since 2009.

With an inherent understanding of what modern women want from their everyday sartorial arsenal, it’s perhaps surprising to trace Lieberman’s fashion roots back to the high-glamour world of celebrity styling, when she first rose to fame in 2000 after dressing Jennifer Lopez in that slashed-to-the-navel leaf-print Versace gown for the Grammy Awards. Previous clients also include Gwen Stefani and Mary J. Blige. The high-octane, red-carpet glamour is a far cry from the understated, comfortable aesthetic that A.L.C. has become known for over the past decade – but that is precisely the point, according to Lieberman. “We believe that great style isn’t complicated. Our woman knows quality and dresses to feel confident, so we offer her considered classics with a modern twist,” says the designer. “Each collection is built on a foundation of exclusive fabrications, world-class construction and thoughtful yet subtle design details. We’re consistent but never predictable.”

Indeed, the FW22 collection is another example of A.L.C.’s ability to provide strong, sexy, multifaceted pieces that simultaneously telegraph understated luxury. Forgoing trends in favor of rich craftsmanship, it is a label that lets the quality of the clothes do the talking, encouraging its wearer to walk her own path, ignoring the bright and bubbly for something a little more subdued. Fans will look to the label’s oversized blue-and-white striped shirt for laid-back brunches, boardroom meetings and impromptu dinner dates, for example. Then, slip into A.L.C.’s sharply tailored black separates for that all-important festive bash – shrugging off the brand’s sumptuous shearling coat in cocooning tones of cream at the door.

Fold-over waistbands on pants, super-soft jersey dresses and tasteful pops of color also feature in the label’s signature pieces for fall, while autumnal hues thread the collection together to add typical A.L.C. class. Considered fabrics join Lieberman’s design code, too, with vegan leather and sumptuous shearling repeated in skirts, pants, coats and bags to drive home the label’s love of hardworking materials. Make no mistake about it: this collection is designed to empower women to feel confident in their own skin, focusing on high-quality fabrics and directional cuts rather than loud prints and kaleidoscopic palettes. “There’s a chicness that comes from just being comfortable,” Lieberman states. It’s a simple truth – and one that encapsulates FW22’s superbly understated collection perfectly.