The Adam Lippes label turns 10 in 2024. It’s a milestone worth celebrating in what’s otherwise a difficult moment for independent brands. The festivities will start with the February opening of a new store in Houston, his second after New York City. Lippes is headed down to Texas before the end of this year; he’s made dresses for both mom and daughters for a deb party there, and he’ll squeeze in some time to work on the new boutique—building a brand is a hands-on endeavor for this designer.
That’s a fine segue to talk about this new pre-fall collection. “We’re paring back a little and focusing just on the luxury of the fabrics and the silhouettes,” Lippes said at a showroom appointment. The allure of his clothes really does start with the way they feel to the touch. Here, that goes as much for a summery hand-twisted bra top and matching midi skirt in a dark chocolate liquid silk jersey as it does for a platinum-hued recycled silk duchesse strapless sack gown with hand-embroidered beading.
As for Lippes’s pre-fall shapes, they tend to be roomy and away-from-the-body, the kinds of things you reach for on summer’s hottest days. His new pants shape comes in Japanese cotton with an elastic waist and full legs that taper to the ankle. Though there are other more fitted styles, like a calf-length pencil skirt in butter yellow with crystal buttons dyed to match, for women who prefer clothes that hug them. His fine eye for detail and commitment to craft was showcased on the smocked and embroidered neckline and cuffs of a lovely long dress in that same soft shade of yellow.
