Empowering women through luxury design is Kym Ellery’s objective. She’s become synonymous with ultracool cropped flares and statement bell sleeve tops that balance femininity against volume and off-kilter construction. Those signature elements were present for resort through romantic puff sleeves on shirting and outerwear, feminine draping on colorful asymmetric dresses, and flyaway ties that provided a sense of motion.
She had a rather comical inspiration for her chic lineup: a girlfriend’s conservative parents who moonlight as cowboys on the weekends in France. It sounded off-brand, to say the least, but a perfect opportunity for the designer to play on the ideals of classic, modern and fun design on which she’s evolved.
She mined the Wild West for references, placing an Ellery spin of volume and precision tailoring on encompassing silhouettes. A buttery soft black leather shirt featured curved Western design lines along the front pockets, as did tailored black outerwear with white topstitching. Shirting featured long, swishy fringe where pockets should be; it showed up elsewhere as exaggerated sleeves on a floral robe dress that could be worn with a high neck or wrapped front. And she couldn’t help but channel Dolly Parton in a rhinestone-studded suede coatdress that could easily pair back to matching flats or her signature perspex heel boots done this season in patchworked water snakeskin. The inspiration was always modestly applied, ensuring the clothes were still relevant for now.
