Nanette Lepore Creates Some (Literally) Royal Prints for Spring

By Bonnie Datt Sep 13, 2012, 8:45am EDT

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While the designers at Milly, DVF and Tibi all seem to be cutting down on the number of prints they're using in their collections, Nanette once again dives head first into the print pool. She explains her inspiration to us:

I was inspired by the Porcelain Room in the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. It's an amazing room. I was in my London store and this woman came in who was restoring the queen's porcelain and she told me all about it, so I had to see it. She had restored this room and it was amazing...We took porcelain prints and blew them up and re-colored them into sort of pumped up pastels. And everything has a black shadow, so it feels modern and not retro in any way.Using these bold floral-like prints in pistachio and coral, as well as stripes and a black and white checked gingham, Nanette has created tops, shorts, bathing suits, and dresses. She's even combined a few of the above patterns together in some of her garments. In theory, these combos should clash disastrously, but in reality, they make for surprisingly attractive clothing. These daring print mixings are somewhat reminiscent of a design Mondo Guerra created, and Lepore produced, for a challenge on Project Runway All Stars.

Instead of a DJ, the show's music was provided by the Brazilian Girls. The group played live while the models sashayed dramatically down the runway. But when it was Nanette's turn to come out for her ovation, her stride quickly turned into a dance. Perhaps she was stirred by the rhythm of the music, but we're guessing her moves were at least partially inspired by the joy of having another successful show.