Emily Factor and Alex & Lee Spring 2012
Emily Factor and Alex & Lee collaborated to present their Spring/Summer collections with an artsy installation inspired by nature. Held at MB Galleries in downtown Los Angeles, it was the perfect way to view the beautifully detailed collections. Factor showed 24 looks complemented by the exquisite crystal necklaces and woven belts by Alex & Lee and artisan shoes by Calleen Cordero. Only in its second year, Factor has already achieved a high sophistication level with her original prints and feminine silhouettes.
The designer, who studied at Central Saint Martins, takes a conceptual approach to the design process. Factor said she was looking at spiraling patterns such as spirals in sacred geometry to create the multi-tonal prints that characterized the collection. She photographed succulent orbs in trees and looked at cabbages and fossils such as ammonite to find the different spiraling relationships in nature. “I come up with a story that way and think about how it’s going to go onto the body,” Factor explained. “I literally will take an image and put it on the dress form or on a person [then] it clicks in my head what kind of shape it’s going to be,” she added.
Shapes made in natural silks and cottons were softly structured yet sophisticated—such as tiered maxi dresses, easy blouses paired with skirts and jackets that layered over dresses. Hand-painted vintage lace and delicate ruffles added a touch of romanticism to the bohemian-chic look.—N. Jayne Seward
