Lela Rose Fall/Winter 2016

Lela Rose is known for her pretty party dresses—they’re loved by ladies who want to look beautiful for a cocktail soirée or charity gala without looking over-the-top. Like any good Southern woman, Texas-born Lela Rose knows how to throw a party that’s not only decorated to perfection, but also is a pretty darn good time. She recently wrote a book about it called Pret-A-Party: Great Ideas for Good Times and Creative Entertaining. So the kind of attire she crafts makes perfect sense.

This season, she was thinking about another kind of woman—the kind that might also have a board meeting to attend before jetting off to a swanky affair in honor of a client. She introduced separates like a navy blue pencil skirt with a matching top with a boardroom blue collar or a pair of black wide-leg pants with an off-the-shoulder top worn over a blue dress shirt. A few of these looks were the kind of clothing you could imagine Huma Abedin or Amal Clooney types wearing to a House Committee meeting or a UN tribunal. But even a lady who lunches isn’t wearing a cocktail dress everyday. There were even a pair of knit tops that made it into the collection.

Have an occasion coming up? In a response to the ever present “sell in season” argument the industry has been toiling with, Rose has made three looks available immediately. A moss green embossed cloche sleeve top and pencil skirt; an indigo geometric fil coupé shirtwaist dress; and, a black double crêpe and organza off-the-shoulder top with a weave circle skirt are available, literally, pret-a-porter.