Oh, the joys and relative freedom that must come with being independent designers who know and embrace their nicheness. Julie and Jason Alkire’s spring collection was filled with the kind of refreshing nuance and measured creative risks that belong to designers who answer only to themselves and their loyal customers. The designers wanted to express the brilliant scenery, vivid colors and graphic signage that so impressed them during a trip to Verbier, Switzerland, in early June. One dress, which Jason described as “the literal expression of what we were studying color-wise,” was printed with grids of Pantone chips in blue, purple, magenta and green. A neat miniskirt done in hand-woven black and white ribbon, a detail that was repeated on the collar of an ivory linen coat with faded blue stripes, represented Swiss street signs. And one of the collection’s most enchanting details was an incredible photo print of wildflowers the Alkires collected and pressed that appeared on dresses and an elegant draped swath of an evening top. There wasn’t an iota of generic in the house, yet everything felt sophisticated and real.
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