She Dreams in Technicolor
For Lisa Perry, life does exist somewhere over the rainbow.
On Madison Avenue-between 76th and 77th Streets, to be exact. With the opening of her newest eponymous boutique, Perry will be able to further spread her message to the masses. Her collection-previously only known to the few lucky enough to be privy-is a funhouse of clothing and accessories—and now home goods, jewelry, bedding, even umbrellas. Bright colors all, her pop art approach conjures up Lichtenstein, her styling, Courreges, and her lines Lloyd Wright. But—it is quintessential Perry.
For a woman who grew up in a creative Chicago family, taking to an art of her own was a natural. Perry’s family was in the textile business (what would ultimately become her major, at F.I.T.). Her childhood was filled with color-Marimekko sheets adorned her room, an influence that one can see in Perry’s designs, and art was all around her (Perry’s Manhattan home is a showcase as well; her collection of pop art and her clean, minimalist aesthetic has been featured in many books and magazines.
But it’s the clothes—oh, the clothes. Think Sixties style extraordinaire. Perry has the benefit of living in the present though, and of looking backward to refine what worked then and what didn’t, and crafting it anew. The result? A streamlined collection of pieces in vibrant colors and uncomplicated lines that any woman could wear. There are tops, shells, chemises, A-line dresses, and suits, all in superb fabrics, and all fashioned to a T. Clothes like these would suffer (and so would we) if there weren’t accessories to go with them. Of course, Perry thought of that. She has pillows, clutches, envelope bags, cosmetic bags, change purses, totes, and overnight bags—all in the stand-out colors she’s known for. The star of the collection is her Hoop Bag—a circle of patent leather with a circular handle-simple proof that great fashion makes the world go round.
Perry’s future is as bright as her creations, and she is surely here to stay. The design wonder has zoomed to the top of the retail ladder by casting her rainbow far and wide: She is carried at Collette in Paris, Harrod’s in London, and at Bergdordf’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Jeffrey in New York, and down south in Palm Beach and Atlanta—and if you find yourself at the beach with nothing to wear, head over to The American Hotel in Sag Harbor where Perry has taken yet another space for her colorful creations. All this in the past two years. Lisa Perry has been one a busy lady.
Tagged in: courreges, pop art, bright, lisa perry, women's fashion,
