New York-based Ala von Auersperg launched her namesake label in 2016 with a fairly straightforward goal: to offer breezy beach-to-dinner coordinated caftan and gown sets in original digital prints. She found a passion for painting a few years back and, along with creative partners Antonio Gual and Larry Black, began digitally imposing her artwork onto pieces equally appropriate for Palm Beach, Marrakech or Antigua (where she has a second home).
Customers have responded to the contrast of fitted dresses in Lycra or silk georgette with matching flowy mesh caftan overlays. They’re sexy without being too bare. “It’s tight but put a layer on top, they start to vamp in the way they walk,” the designer said in her showroom. “I say I’m never going to show in an art show because women are my art installations. I really love to see these things I paint move.”
She’s even begun imprinting her signature so people know designs began with a painting. This season’s prints included blue coral on an asymmetrical caftan with a single long sleeve, an oranges print cut into an off-shoulder blouse and skirt, and a black coral print from last season with inverted colors. “We want to evolve it but
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