Rosie Assoulin is a designer known for her whimsy. Every season, her fashion week presentations are bursting with bright colors, swirling prints, and (an industry secret) mouthwatering sweets. But the New York resident is branching out from the eponymous line she launched in 2012 with By Any Other Name, Assoulin's new fashion brand that centers around the way you dress not for rare, special occasions, but for the everyday.
In the initial brand statement, Assoulin and her co-founder (and husband) Max Assoulin write that the brand is a response to the abrasive exposure that comes with the internet age, designed for "savoring the simple pleasure of navigating one’s daily life in an understated, graceful way." While Assoulin's first line gained favor as colorful occasion-wear, By Any Other Name is intended instead to create a sense of luxury in what one wears to work, or while running errands. "This succinct edit of key items becomes an effortless wardrobe for a woman with intention, to help carry her through her day." This means that the color palate is more subdued, the designs are tightly edited, and everything is meant to be mixed and matched — both with each other and with your usual denim, silk, and cotton.
The result is a 15-piece collection that while fashion-forward, averts the danger of coming off contrived or costumey — a danger that can befall contemporary brands that become too bogged down with the idea of creating a signature aesthetic early on. Just as easily as an editor might style the pieces layered on top of one another, a lawyer, teacher, or CEO can cherry-pick what works with their already established work wardrobes. And while someone with a sharp sartorial eye can draw connections between BAON and Assoulin's first line, this new foray flies decidedly under the radar.
Designed entirely in New York, the collection embodies what has come to be considered the New York lifestyle, though it applies to women everywhere. What a woman puts on at 7 a.m. needs to carry her through an entire 14-hour days — from the office, to dinner or drinks; From midtown to down town; Perhaps even from New York all the way to Los Angeles. A modern wardrobe requires a certain amount of flexibility, "imbued with a sanguine and purposeful spirit, and artfully designed with comfort in mind, the collection is relevant to our lives, desires and identities today." Basically, it's a collection intended entirely for the modern woman.
For those interested in shopping the new collection, it's now available direct-to-consumer, but will also be sold at major retailers including Moda Operandi, Saks, and Nordstrom. Unlike the namesake Rosie Assoulin line which shows during New York Fashion Week in February and September, BAON will show twice yearly during summer and winter. Prices start at $595 and range up to $1,295 for some of the more elaborate dresses. And though the collection is designed in New York, pieces are produced in Europe with fabrics from Spain, France, and Portugal. Below, shop a few key pieces from the debut collection to help round out your wardrobe for the months ahead.
