Rosie Assoulin Lets Them Eat Cake

NEW YORK, United States — Rosie Assoulin likes to name her garments. This season, a crushed-and-pleated tiered skirt, marbled in shades of blue and berry and attached to a thinly ribbed black turtleneck, earned the moniker "Someone Left My Cake Out in the Rain." It reminded her of a dripping baked good.

That’s Assoulin, for you: She’s vulnerable and funny, less constrained about what is “right” and “wrong” than many designers. The skirt was just the beginning of an idea. “I can’t stop thinking about the marbling…and the paper…and the craft,” she said at her Tuesday morning presentation, where models swayed to the music and guests sipped on tea that turned from blue to purple with a squirt of a slime. Assoulin developed what felt like dozens of marbled prints, collaging them together on a silk handkerchief dress for a delightfully batty take on the gala gown and swirling the clay of handmade ceramic bracelets and necklaces. (When asked if she collaborated with anyone on the jewellery this season — which also included structured earrings studded with jack and marbles — Assoulin deadpanned, “My kids.”)

If eveningwear is the way into a wealthy woman's wardrobe, Assoulin may be the American poster child for how to successfully deliver the goods. Let them eat cake!