In Fashion | The Return of Alice Roi
T: The New York Times Style Magazine | June 2014
For girls-about-downtown in the late ’90s and early aughts, Alice Roi was a patron saint. The lower-Manhattan-born-and-bred designer with the cool-kid persona created clothes that tempered a girlish sensibility with a subtle sense of humor. There were the “La Caricature” dresses, covered in an Honoré Daumier print of two snobs turning their noses at each other. There were the Yeti-like mohair jackets and the bare-shouldered tops with cutouts meant to resemble crewneck openings. The line was a cult hit until 2008, when Roi became a mom and not only shuttered her business but withdrew completely from the fashion world.
Eventually, Roi’s sabbatical stoked her urge to design again. “The sign of a true fashion addict is to look for references no matter where,” she says. Even a quick glance at her son’s toy trains would turn into design fodder. (“Those would be the coolest heels on shoes,” she recalls thinking.) Maybe it was a sign that the 2001 C.F.D.A. nominee for the Perry Ellis Award in women’s wear wasn’t meant to stay away. Now, after quietly introducing new styles to a small handful of stores over the last year, Roi, 38, is ready to reclaim her place in fashion with her 2015 resort collection — a full range of styles that marks the brand’s official relaunch. For the first time, Roi is reaching out to her audience directly through her own ’90s-nostalgic Instagram feed. A comprehensive update to her e-commerce site is also in the works.
At the look book shoot earlier this week, Roi, dressed in black with blue-black hair, nodded in the direction of a model wearing an outfit from the collection: a silk jersey top embellished with small pads and paired with flared cropped pants. Roi explained that the slinky top is meant to resemble a latex glove, a look inspired by rave-party style. Elsewhere, other discordant references abound: the Amish, the prairie and Ram Dass’s seminal book “Be Here Now,” one of the illustrations from which appears printed on a T-shirt. A Peter Pan collar softens a slick leather jacket, while a graphic checked skirt is offset by silver-tone studs.
A lot has changed in fashion since Roi’s last outing. Designers must contend with the speed of the Internet and a steady stream of smartphone-wielding editors and bloggers. But Roi is eager to figure out how to navigate the new landscape. “I’m finding the balance,” she says. “I’m finding the flow.”