FALL FINERY
David Meister’s Formal Collection for Fall 2018
After approximately 20 years of evolving with his eponymous women’s formalwear label, which has been worn by some of Hollywood’s most well-known celebrities, David Meister has enjoyed an enviable career.
The designer has come a long way since his cross-country move from New York City to Los Angeles, where he once worked at Laundry by Shelli Segal. Since those days, his designs have been seen on actors including Diane Lane, Andie MacDowell and Sofia Vergara, who have been known to repeatedly wear David Meister’s creations while walking the red carpet.
Working amid the rewards and challenges of being based in Los Angeles, David Meister recently introduced his Fall 2018 line of women’s formalwear. Retailing at $400 to $1,100, the collection included gowns, cocktail dresses, midis and a unique design that features fitted stovepipe pants underneath a sheer handkerchief skirt whose longest length reaches the floor, creating a sweep train. For Fall, Meister focused on adorning his pieces with sequins, fringe and embroidered floral details.
“The customer wants more and there is more interest in novelty, whereas a year ago it was about simple and clean,” he said. “Now it’s about embellishment.”
Despite trends that seem to shift overnight, coupled with the nature of fashion that demands fast production and immediate consumer gratification, Meister’s key to success has been to focus on creating designs that will still be considered stylish over the years, rather than those that look fashionable for only a few months.
“My motto for the line is that good design always has a sense of timelessness to it,” he explained. “It should still look relevant 10 years from now. If it’s beautiful, it’s beautiful,” he said.
While Meister has been in different business partnerships over the years, his brand has been licensed since 2015 to the Groupe JS International, with production in China. The label is available through retail partner websites forSaks Fifth Avenue (www.saksfifthavenue.com) and Neiman Marcus (www.neimanmarcus.com).
As a designer who has enjoyed longevity in the formalwear category, Meister has been able to expand from North America to international markets, being sold at Bahrain’s Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s in Dubai. Despite these accomplishments, Meister feels that his success is dependent on his ability to keep moving forward.
“Globally is where we’ve had the biggest growth,” he said. “I think it’s great, but I don’t sit and think about things too long. You have to keep moving or you’ll be run over. Fashion is about change. It’s fast, it’s moving and it’s always different, so I just want to keep moving forward.”
Maintaining his focus on pieces that allow his clientele to feel special, Meister has predicted a shift in trends that will bring greater simplicity to formalwear in the coming seasons. “You get as far as you can in one direction and swing back,” he said. “I think it’s time to see cleaner but still special.”
