Rachel Zoe's glitzy, vintage-inspired Fall 2016 collection
BY MOLLY WINDING
Rachel Zoe will always be one of our favorite designers, both for how wonderful she is as a person and for how wonderful her collections are every single season, without fail.
Lucky for us, we were able to chat with the fabulous fashion designer before her Fall 2016 presentation, and we got the inside scoop on the new line, which includes designs harking back to some of the best eras of American fashion and is an ode to strong women everywhere.
"There's influence from the '30s, from the '90s," Zoe said, "from the very kind of sensual, beautiful women from that time period. Very strong, very confident, very, very stylish, but never forced."
The blonde bombshell designer, sporting flared black pants and a shimmery, feathery sweater from her line, explained where her inspiration came from.
"I was feeling to kind of celebrate strong women and the power of women," she said. "It's been like that kind of the last couple years, just kind of embracing women and empowering them for all that they're capable of. And so, this was about celebrating their sensuality but also their confidence."
Confidence, she added, was expressed in the collection through the mixing of masculine elements like tailored jackets and jackets paired with shift skip dresses. Zoe kept her Fall 2016 collection small, with only 20 looks, each more incredible than the next (see the slideshow above).
The designer, of course, loves all 20 ensembles, but did admit she has a few favorites. "There's a leather three-piece tuxedo that makes my heart skip a beat," Zoe said. "There's also a long-sleeve embroidered dress, two of them, that I could just die. And there's a beaded plunging jumpsuit that I'm going to wear every day -- every day, you know, to the supermarket," she laughed.
Zoe has an incredible knack for taking a bohemian look and making it glamorous, yet effortless. A Rachel Zoe original never tries too hard, and that's the beauty of her work. Naturally, the hair and makeup accompanying each piece was equally fluent -- messy, fishtail braids and dewy, glowing skin.
%shareLinks-quote="This was about celebrating their sensuality but also their confidence." type="quote" author="Rachel Zoe" authordesc="on empowering women with her Fall 2016 collection" isquoteoftheday="false"%
"The hair is kind of this messy, fishtail braid that is fuzzy and not perfect, because who has perfect hair?" the designer said. And the makeup? "Fresh-skinned with a very stained lip." The look was uniquely her own -- Zoe herself rocks long, beachy blonde locks and minimal makeup, though almost always a dark lip or eye.
Zoe's ability to infuse her own personality so seamlessly into her line makes each piece feel special, as if the designer's creative ideas flowed directly out from her soul and materialized into an article of clothing with the power to make any woman unstoppable. We at AOL are not shy about our love for Zoe's collection. As always, we can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Click through the gallery above to see photos of the Fall 2016 collection!
See photos of Rachel Zoe through the years:
More fashion week content:
MILLY brings unexpected edge to Fall 2016 collection
J.Crew wants you to rethink your winter wardrobe
Alexander Wang makes hard edges beautiful
