Veronica Beard(s)

On Friday at Richards, we welcomed Veronica Beard for their second trunk show for Spring 2011.   Coincidentally,  there is not one, but two Veronica Beards,  SIL's married to brothers, (nephews of the renown photographer Peter Beard).  The fact that they are both tall, blond, lithe, gorgeous, warm and utterly charming, would have me rooting for their collection, even if they were crafted out of Hefty Bags...happily, I love their clothes and their concept...

It all started when the Veronica's, (Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard),  put their heads together to fill in the gaps in their wardrobe.  They are both busy Mom's and ideally wanted no brainer pieces that could function almost like a "uniform".  The first item was a winner,  based on a concept borrowed from menswear... fitted blazers, with zip out interchangeable "dickeys", some with hoods, some without.  

They were immediately scooped up by fashion editors who fell in love with them and features in Vogue, WWD and Harper's Bazaar followed...as well as the demand.  "We are on our third cutting of our Fall jackets".  Stores and customers are still clamoring...At Richards  and our West Coast store Wilkes Bashford,  we sold them out to the piece..  My clients who purchased them can't make it down the block, without people stopping to admire them. The "dickeys" were a stroke of genius, allowing one jacket to have multiple looks and all without the added bulk of an actual layer, (who needs that)?...afterall.

For Spring, their capsule collection includes more, "easy, chic, no regret, investment pieces".  Everything is meticulously thought out.   Adorable taffeta or linen skirts,  have wide waistbands and a hint of fullness.    Smartly, the back of the skirts were clean and straight,  so the volume is manageable,  (no Hefty's here).  There was a perfect leopard raincoat, tissue thin and packable in its own pouch.  In addition to some gorgeous, Swiss dot voile blouses, my favorite piece was a waxed linen dress, with silk sleeves that zip off to reveal a perfect sheath.  Jackets, this go round, were perfectly shaped but without dickeys for Spring.  They looked adorable, paired back to cuffed shorts, and reversible charmeuse long tanks. The  Spring collection retails between $350- $850. The fabrics look and feel luxe and nicely, all of their clothes are made in New York. 

I noticed the absence of pants and asked The Veronica's about it.  They would love to include them, but they won't, until they can nail down the perfect silhouette. If I were taking bets on seeing them in their Fall collection, I would  double down...two heads, after all,  do seem to be better than one.

xox,
DD