Nili Lotan is saying bye-bye to quiet luxury. “I can be minimal, but when everyone is going there I need to do something else, do my own thing,” the designer said at her downtown showroom. And what is Lotan’s thing? Besides the fantastic pants she’s made a name—and business—for herself with, it’s rock and roll, baby.
Last we caught up with Lotan a month or so ago for pre-fall (a tight turnaround, this one), she had reignited her passion for the supple sex appeal of the ’70s. “Now I’m going all in,” she said, revealing a lineup of luxe and undeniably Jagger-ish shaggy shearling jackets and coats. She cut some of her sharpest tailoring in leather and velvet, both of which, she said, are fabrications she’s positioning to exist beyond the evening space. “They go with denim and knits,” she declared, and that they do. A refreshing twist to the go-to business casual uniform of New York.
Past a pair of covetable leather bombers—chez Lotan it’s really all about the outerwear this season—she cut a few cami tops and slips to contrast the ruggedness of her darker washed denims. Newest of all, however, is a range of handbags. Lotan has always been devoted to the “full look” and claimed to be a one-stop shop. Once she adds boots to the mix, the Lotan faithful will need to go nowhere else.
