California Apparel News

Last fall, the Adrian label was introduced as a revival of designer Gilbert Adrian’s work nearly 60 years after the founder’s passing. As a stylist for some of MGM’s most revered golden-age actors—including Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Judy Garland—Adrian laid the foundation for old Hollywood glamour.

The new label first came out with a Spring/Summer 2018 collection named “Papillon.” The label’s revival was led by founder and designer Kate Silverman, who was working as an intern with Christian Dior by the age of 15 and became fascinated with Adrian’s work while studying the Théâtre de la Mode during college.

As a history enthusiast and fashion connoisseur, Silverman was inspired not only by Adrian’s legacy but also the absence of classic glamour in today’s market. The designer emphasizes that her intention was to cultivate a modern interpretation of Adrian’s creations, which were influenced by the military, nature and butterflies.

The recently introduced Fall/Winter 2018 collection, titled “Uniformly Adrian,” includes classic elements of the original, such as gingham, military-inspired details, Grecian draping and asymmetrical lines in hues of deep red, royal blue, heavy black and shimmering gold.

It is now made for the modern era with features including hidden pockets in its floor-length, silk-and-acetate-blend mitered-stripe skirt or dropped-shoulder, full-sleeve bomber-style jacket with a matelassé-stitched star pattern.

“We’re not copying; we’re inspired by. So nothing is exactly the same. I met with his [Adrian’s] son, Robin [Adrian], and he has given me permission and a lot of stories as well,” Silverman said. “He used a lot of asymmetrical detail, stripe mitering, placements of bows and large buttons, pleating. He loved military and nature.”

During the six-year planning for the revival, Silverman turned to design veteran Gregory Lagola, a Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) graduate, a former textiles director at Bill Blass and fellow admirer of Gilbert Adrian’s work. Now serving as Adrian’s creative director and head designer, Lagola also once worked with Parsons-Meares, the Broadway costumer, making him an excellent candidate to reimagine a glamorous collection created for silver-screen stars.

While Adrian is now based in Manhattan, Silverman was excited to debut the Fall/Winter 2018 collection in Los Angeles, the region that inspired Adrian’s work during the 1920s through ’50s.

“It’s exciting to finally have it in California, where he had his own store, because we’re a New York–based company,” explained Silverman.

In addition to recreating the basic design elements of Adrian, the current collection has also gained a following among contemporary Hollywood’s leading women, including Gal Gadot, Mary-Louise Parker, Wakeema Hollis and Kate Baldwin.

While the collection blends elegance with the highest level of design expertise, it also makes glamour accessible to a discerning clientele that seeks the red-carpet feeling without the unnecessary elements that will make a piece difficult to wear. While styling a floor-length, rose-gold lamé gown, Lagola explained how the piece was designed with a petticoat for the red carpet but revealed that the underskirt could be removed for formal, yet less dramatic, events.

“We put it on a few people, and it was gorgeous. If I was doing a red carpet, I would say, ‘We should have the petticoat,’ but in real life, it looks better without it,” Lagola said.

Bringing glamour to real life is one of the accomplishments Silverman and Lagola have found through this venture. Even though these clothes are made for women who value purchasing carefully designed, well-crafted, timeless pieces, many of the designs can be styled to represent how each client defines the idea of glamour.

When discussing a shimmery black-and-blue Lurex-stripe jacket from the Adrian capsule collection, Susan Silverman, Kate’s mother, explained how she paired the luxurious piece with simple basics to reflect her own style.

“It was really fun,” she said. “I wore black riding pants with a little leather on the side and a pair of boots because that is my lifestyle and it’s comfortable.”

The collection’s less formal pieces also look to Adrian’s original influences, such as a lamé, dolman-sleeve jumpsuit with French cuffs; the long-sleeve, silk-taffeta blouse that features asymmetrical, wraparound ruffles; or a cap-sleeve cocktail dress, whose off-center front keyhole detail is framed by hand-knotted cording.

From her love of Adrian, Silverman developed an appreciation for all the sources where he gained inspiration. While the Spring/Summer collection featured a silk, double-faced satin opera coat, its custom spiral pin acknowledged the late designer’s affinity for butterflies.

“There is this cocoon wrap with the little butterfly antenna,” said Silverman about the small, yet important, detail. “Adrian loved butterflies. He had a collection of them that I found. They’re framed. It’s so cool.”

With the debut of Fall/Winter, these influences remain but have transitioned for the season. A unique wool, satin-gabardine “jackape”—jacket cape—features an asymmetrical, single-breast cut with a drape over the left shoulder. While the jacket pays homage to Adrian’s military influence, the cape element adds another dimension, which resembles a butterfly’s wing.

Manufactured in New York, retail pricing for the collection starts at $590 for blouses. Gowns are priced at $2,000, and the cost of novelty jackets begins at $2,400. While focused on selling by appointment only through her atelier, Silverman is thinking of expanding the brand into other areas.

“Eventually I would like to do some e-commerce,” she said, “but that would be the next step with a diffusion line, something more playful and fun.”