Happy Friday!
I had the honor of interviewing fashion designer Lela Rose at my local Neiman Marcus this week, as she was in town to present her new Spring collection! Lela (pronounced Lee-la as opposed to Lay-la, which was a bit funny since it sounded like I just repeated her name back to her when introducing myself), has been designing clothing since 1996 and has worked with Molly Sims, Mischa Barton, Jessica Simpson, Selma Blair, and both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen! You’ll also see her designs on a number of fashion forward celebs from Lauren Conrad to Kim Kardashian! She was such a pleasure to meet with, here’s a glimpse of our chat…
Colorblock Sheath Dress / Split Neck Dress / Contour Coloblock Sheath Dress
Which upcoming Spring Trend are you most excited about?
I actually don’t really follow trends, you will always find color in my lines – it makes you happier! There is however a lot of mixture of color, texture, and mirrored images as well in the new collection.
What made you want to branch out into bridal wear?
Our ready-to-wear is for a woman attending events and going places. It felt only natural that we would move into designing for the ultimate event.
What is your personal go-to outfit?
You will always find me in a dress, which I try to pair with a fun chunky necklace. I love the idea of a dress because it’s so easy, one zip and you’re done. Then once you have that figured out you can spend money on different accessories and transform that one dress into many different looks.
Jigsaw Lace Dress: What Lela, herself, rocked when I met with her, loved it in person!
If you could give LLL readers one piece of fashion advise, what would it be?
Wear color!! It sets the tone of your own attitude as well as the mood of others around you and how you will be perceived. I like dressing a confident and put together woman and color can help accomplish that.
I know you designed dresses for the Bush twins for their father’s inauguration, as well as Mrs. Biden for this week’s inauguration, that must have been such an honor!
I felt good about it, it’s certainly an honor, but I honestly love to be able to answer the needs of any woman needing to dress for a special occasion, no matter who it is.
Who was your favorite celebrity to dress?
I’ve had a great time dressing all of the celebrities that I’ve worked with, I have no bad experiences. I especially enjoyed working with Anne Hathaway and Mandy Moore, whom we’ve dressed numerous times!
Be sure to check out Lela’s new Spring 2013 collection and for all you brides out there, take a look at her Bridal Collection and Bridesmaid Collection at Dessy, I love it!
Have a great weekend!
Xo,
Leah
