September is a bustling month for Pamella Roland. The designer known for her glamorous cocktail dresses and sumptuous evening gowns presented her Spring 2024 show at New York Fashion Week last Tuesday, introduced her Rizzoli coffee table book two weeks earlier and on Thursday brings the collection to Houston.
PaperCity chatted with the designer via Zoom from her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan to hear more about what to expect in the PaperCity Philanthropy in Fashion Best Dressed Luncheon and Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation this Thursday, September 21 at Post Oak Hotel.
Rolland’s 40 looks from last week’s New York show will be featured on the runway at the Post Oak Hotel during the PaperCity Philanthropy in Fashion Best Dressed Awards Luncheon and Neiman Marcus fashion presentation benefiting March of Dimes.
Inspiration for the collection, Roland says, comes from Morocco, a country she visited last February on an extensive trip with the Kennedy Center board of which she is a member.
“There was so much inspiration. I took so many pictures that I have enough for two collections,” she says. “The architecture, the amazing mosques, the colors, the beautiful tiles everywhere.”
On Instagram, Roland notes: “I knew we had to create a collection which infused all of this culture of rich colors, natural fixtures, and intricate patterns. The geometric manner found in the Moorish architecture, the vibrant colors of the souks, and the rich textiles of the region all come together to make an elegant but powerful visual.”
While Roland and her team were putting finishing touches on the collection, Marrakech heartbreakingly suffered the devastating earthquake and aftershocks.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” Roland says. She wrote more on Instagram: “We at Pamella Roland are making a donation for relief and rebuilding efforts to help during this time of devastation. Should you wish to also support these efforts, please consider making a donation. Our hearts and prayers go out to the beautiful people of Morocco.”
Roland’s celebration of the riches of Morocco “transports the Moroccan paradise of Marrakech, weaving in the vibrant blue tones of the city and highlighting ethereal glamour with flowing chiffon and jeweled and feathered dresses,” according to USA Today.
Confirming the “high-wattage glitz” of the collection, Oscar winning actress Angela Bassett was seated front row at the New York Fashion Week presentation in a dazzling black sequined pantsuit from last winter’s collection.
“When I started I never would have dreamed that we would have grown like this,” Roland says of her 22 years in the fashion business. “I began with sportswear but I became a gown business because the gowns sold well and they are well made.”
Roland attributes part of the success of her gowns to the built-in corset, a feature she created after attending a glitzy party in Hollywood and leaving early because her undergarments were causing her such pain.
“My gowns are comfortable,” she says. “That’s what our clients tell me all the time.”
Her coffee table book, Pamella Roland: Dressing for the Spotlight, was officially released at a swank party in New York the first week of September. It features 150 of Roland’s gowns through the first two decades of her career, many of the images featuring Hollywood stars who are frequent clients. Among them, she counts Angelina Jolie, Eva Longoria, Nicky Hilton, Queen Latifah, Kim Cattrall, Carrie Underwood and personal friend Vanessa Williams. Williams wrote the book’s forward.
Pamella Roland’s Texas Connection
Houstonian Hallie Vanderhider is one of Pamella Roland’s top customers. “She’s fantastic,” Roland says of the woman who enters the Best Dressed Hall of Fame at Thursday’s luncheon. And, yes, Vanderhider will be wearing Pamella Roland.
“Texas women like to dress and they like our dresses,” Roland says. “Head to toe they look perfect. They dress well. They aren’t afraid of color. They definitely like color. They are confident women, very elegant.”
Neiman Marcus will have a pop-up shop at the Post Oak Hotel for the luncheon where not only Pamella Roland fashions will be offered but also the designer’s recently launched namesake fragrance collection and the book.
More information on the Best Dressed luncheon can be found here.
Credit:Source link
