When the first of Resort hits stores in late October, those in the North are after winter coats, while those in the South are still wearing sleeveless dresses. For Josie Natori, that meant delivering a collection built from year-round fabrics. Stretchy, textured jacquard was made into cropped, wide-leg pants available in black for New York, white for Palm Beach. Black-and-white-blocked, doubled-faced jersey was fashioned into a mod tunic. Natori had fun adding artful embellishments to her daywear, from a pink shift embroidered with painterly brushstrokes to a white coat stitched with a static-like pattern across the front. Each line of stitching was hand-pulled at the ends so that it looked as though it were unraveling. “Nothing here is made by a computer,” the designer quipped.
In this increasingly crowded marketplace, Natori is aware that her customer has plenty of options. Her goal, it seems, is to make good-looking things that are worthy of their consideration. For instance, a collarless V-neck dress in raspberry-colored jacquard was practical and chic—and could easily be worn no matter what the current temperature. “You don’t have to think so hard about it,” Natori said. In this case, that’s a good thing.
