A few seasons ago, we may have described LaPointe as the uniform of choice for the out-and-about young SoHo girl, but Sally LaPointe wants you to know that she designs with a broader customer base in mind. There’s Beyoncé and Oprah, for example, who continually wear her clothes on the red carpet, at talk shows, and in their personal lives. In a turbulent economic time where the perils of being an independent brand are more stark than ever, her brand is doing great; she has recently hired two new executives, including a VP of Marketing, and is expanding her business to include sunglasses and accessories.
But even if LaPointe’s influence ranges far and wide, this season she wanted to pay homage to the neighborhood she calls the brand’s home. “I’ve been on this block of SoHo for five years, it feels like home,” she said at a recent appointment. “Daily, I see a diverse group of people [dressed] in a very high/low mix, everything from crazy to conservative, which I feel is very in tune with my brand.” Her resort lineup included a mix of both daytime and nighttime looks including heavyweight satin cargo pants, cashmere sweaters, jersey catsuits, and mesh bodysuits.
A particular point of inspiration this season were snakeskin and leopard prints; although in keeping with LaPointe’s signature style, even the most understated pieces featured bold Mongolian collars that are bound to turn heads. In SoHo or anywhere else in the world.