Webster: Feminine Style with a Sense of Theater
Webster designer Alexia Landeau was practically born in the apparel industry.
Born in Paris to a mother who was a model and muse to Parisian designer Madame Greacute;s, Landeau did not initially follow the design path.
After graduating from Vassar College with a bachelor’s of arts degree in English and philosophy, she headed to New York to pursue a career in theater. While attending drama school in New York, she worked for Tocca. “I was basically [Tocca designer] Marie-Anne Oudejans’ shadow, following her around three days a week for two years,” said Landeau.
Landeau became a model and worked for French designer APC and was also chosen by Tocca to be the face of their perfume launch. In 2002 she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. Her vintage-inspired clothing line started with a single shirt called Kate, which recalled a school shirt that Landeau wore in Paris as a child. She named the line after a one-eyed pug named Webster that she rescued when she moved to Los Angeles. Her initial production run of 300 sold out and attracted the attention of Teen Vogue and Lucky. She launched her first full collection for Spring/Summer ’05.
Webster’s Spring ’07 collection includes dresses, tops and skirts. The clothes are feminine without being too girly or frilly. A sober palette of black, cream, white and pale pink gives a washed-out muted look, as if the garments have been bleached by the sun. Fabrics include Supima cotton, thick textured Irish linen and raw Indian silk. “I also used English Cluny Lace. I found these great people in the U.K.—the same ones that Dolce & Gabbana use—and they were happy to work with my small quantities,” said Landeau.
According to Landeau, buyers have been responding well to the Emily dress, with criss-cross straps across the chest, and the Josephine dress in Supima cotton with lace details.
The Kate shirt, which is produced every season with the same body in different fabrics, remains a top seller. Other noteworthy items include the Alma dress in crinkle cotton with lace trim, as well as the flowy Grace top in cotton with lace at the chest. “My inspirations for the Spring collection came from a feeling I got when I watched Louis Malle’s 1978 film ’Pretty Baby’—all of that lace and crochet and Victorian white cotton,” Landeau explained. “Also, I had just bought a book of David Hamilton photographs and I kind of wanted to capture that moodhellip;of a girl on the brink of something and the fragility of that.”
Wholesale prices range from $75–$140, with retail between $150–$400. The line is produced in Los Angeles. Satine and Holiday in Los Angeles and TG170 and Albertine in New York stock the line.
To see the entire Spring collection, visit www.websterclothing.com. For sales information, contact Tricot Showroom, Cooper Design Space, suite 612, (213) 891-0663, Katie@tricotshowroom.com or Vivian@tricotshowroom.com.
—Dena Smolek
