THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Saturday/Sunday, February 22 - 23, 2020 |D3
[on] getting a few key things.”
Her missions might soon be-
come more possible. Designers—
responding perhaps to global
warming, constantly traveling cli-
ents or just women’s needs—are
increasingly sending seasonless
collections down the runway. For
spring, Celine’s lineup is filled
with mid-weight dresses flexible
enough to weather a range of
temperatures, while Agnona pro-
posed light cashmeres and crepe
de chines, fit for any climate.New York- and Los Angeles-
based stylist Beverly Nguyen, 29,
said her clients expect to be able to
wear their fashion purchases year-
round. She advised that silk, crepe
and cotton poplin dresses will carry
you the farthest, especially those
with simple silhouettes, “good for
dressing up or down.” As for color,
resist shrill yellow or particularly
vocal shades of green. It’s easier,
she said, to layer a sleeveless dress
in a quiet hue over a bright turtle-
neck or silk blouse in fall or winter.A Dress for All Seasons?
Saks Fifth Avenue fashion direc-
tor Roopal Patel, whose customers
want dresses that have “multiple
uses,” cautions against too much
restraint when it comes to styling.
“The seasonless dress doesn’t need
to be basic or simple or boring,”
she said. Her go-to is a navy slip
dress by Zimmermann that she lay-
ers over a tank top on sticky sum-
mer days; in the winter, she’ll
toughen it up with a moto jacket
and combat boots.Adaptability is key. The world’s
most attitudinal leather jacket
won’t make a white eyelet baby-
doll fit for fall. Ms. Patel’s navy
number is an ideal four-season
dress because it’s neutral enough
to lend itself to styling tricks. Es-
padrilles make it July-ish; wool
tights cozy it up for November.
Often made in printed silks or
cottons, New York designer Ulla
Johnson’s bohemian dresses are
strong contenders for fans of femi-
nine, trans-seasonal pizazz. “We
had a georgette dress from pre-
spring that I wore in Uruguay on
the beach with sandals and then I
wore it in the city with boots and a
coat,” said Ms. Johnson. “Same
dress, one week later.” She sug-
gested that most garments can be
worn outside of their assigned sea-
sons—it’s all about “the point of
view of the wearer,” she said. That,
and maybe some creative layering.‘The seasonless dress
doesn’t need to be basic
or simple or boring.’THREE FOR FOUR/ FROCKS FIT FOR YEAR-ROUND WEAR
Dress,$465, self-portrait-studio.com;Dress,$498, toryburch.com;
Dress,$3,400, prada.comWearing a single style from summer through spring isn’t entirely impossible
F
OR MARGE SIMPSON
or Wilma Flintstone, a
single dress suffices
for any season, be it a
Springfield summer or
prehistoric winter. In real life,
most dresses lack that versatility.
A long-sleeved, stretch-wool Alaïa
sheath might be a winter main-
stay, but wear it in June and
you’ll be drenched with sweat. Ga-
briela Hearst’s sleeveless, blue
linen midi deserves to get out a
lot in August, but it’s not so hot
an option come frigid February.
Fashion’s longstanding seasonal
business model—one that demands
shoppers buy new clothes when the
weather shifts—puts a strain on
women’s wallets, closet space and
smartphone calendars. “As some-
one who loves fashion...I’ve had a
lot of frustration [around having] to
rotate through different dresses
during the year,” said Darcy Sha-
piro, 40, an insurance technology
executive in New York. Laura
Mortensen, the New York-based
president of communications
agency Sharp Think, doesn’t have
the bandwidth to constantly update
her wardrobe. “I have two little kids
so in general, my shopping time is
pretty limited,” said Ms. Mortensen,- When shopping, “I’m kind of on
a mission and focusing my time
BYRACHELWOLFEF. MARTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, STYLING BY LYNETTE PONE, HAIR BY JULI AKANEYA, MAKEUP BY MOLLIE GLOSS, MODEL: EMILLI CESTARI/ ELITE
On Model:LeftSimple for summer: Roksanda Dress,$1,525, matchesfashion.com; Earrings,$80, jenniferfisherjewelry.com;Bracelet,$75,
roxanneassoulin.com;Bracelet,$75, roxanneassoulin.com;Bag,$3,250, Bottega Veneta, 212-371-5511;Sandals,$395 emmeparsons.com;RightLayered
up for winter: Roksanda Dress,$1,525, matchesfashion.com:Turtleneck,$30, uniqlo.com;Theory Blouse,$245, saksfifthavenue.com;Hat,$115,
hatattack.com; Loeffler Randall Boots,$695, shopbop.com;Earrings,$265, jenniferfisherjewelry.comSolve for Chic
FASHION AND MATHare more
compatible than you think. For spring
2020, pragmatic designer Dries Van
Noten tapped exuberant couturier
Christian Lacroix to help develop an
equation for an unexpected collabo-
ration. Available now, Mr. Van Noten’s
collection fuses his signatures, like
painterly prints, with Mr. Lacroix’s ex-
troverted ruffles and polka dots. Be-
low, we break down one of the joint
outfits, showing how looks from the
two designers’ past collections were
calculated to combine.FIRSTVIEW (LACROIX 2001); GETTY IMAGES (DRIES VAN NOTEN 2008, COLLABORATION 2020); F. MARTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, STYLING BY ANNE CARDENAS (CLOTHING)=
Clockwise from left: Dries Van Noten
Robe,$1,170, Saks Fifth Avenue, 877-
551-7257;Dries Van Noten Coat,
$1,980, Neiman Marcus, 888-888-
4757;Dries Van Noten Skirt,$1,186,
Bergdorf Goodman, 800-558-1855Dries Van
Noten
Fall 2008Christian
Lacroix
Spring 2001Dries Van
Noten’s
Collaboration
with Christian
Lacroix
Spring 2020STYLE & FASHION
Layered
Up For
WinterSimple
For
Summer