For the love of Princess Grace and Pamella Roland

Some may have thought that evening wear was a dying art form, but not if designer Pamella Roland has anything to say about it. The designer, whose gowns can be found in top department stores including Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, presented her spring/summer 2018 collection at Pier 59 on September 6.

For this season, she found her inspiration from traveling to places like Monte Carlo and thinking of icons like Princess Grace, as well as looking at luxury brands during her travels in Europe and seeing what the trends were there. This resulted in pieces like cocktail dresses with embellished sequin shoulders, column gowns with extravagant capes and beaded dresses that sparkled like diamonds.

"I thought beading was going away, and now women want it more," Roland said. "Women are dressing more, it's not the simple look, that's gone. For my collection and my line, that's good."

Pamella Roland presented her spring/summer 2018 at Pier 59

The look and feel of her collection could simply be described as a modern take on Princess Grace of Monaco. She brought the vintage glamour back. The color palette featured black, white, pink, gold and navy with everything having a very Parisian chic feel to it. Garments were decorated with intricate details like metallic fringe, crystals and 3-D degrade embroidered scalloping.

Roland, whose daughter is getting married this Wednesday, also offered one major tidbit on evening and cocktail attire. "White is only for the bride," she says.

Hence her approach to always making sure to include a decent amount of color. She has her customers prepared for all occasions.

While streetwear has become a major share of the luxury market, Roland has seen a surge in evening wear customers lately. "I thought that customer was starting to go away," she says. "But then, I saw a surge in sales, especially overseas. My customers in the Middle East and China, they want the big gowns, the embellishments and the opulence."

Roland has one secret to every collection she designs: always listen to your customer. "I started off doing separates," she says. "Then I started doing gowns, because that's what was selling best because people said they aren't a lot of gowns out there. For me, it's always about listening to what my customer wants, because I want to be in business forever. If my customers start saying I don't like gowns or I don't want gowns anymore, I'm going to start designing the products they want so I can keep my brand going."

Right now, her customer is keeping it classy, and it's working for her. From the high-low gowns to feather plumes, Roland has her ladies ready for the Monaco Grand Prix.

photos: courtesy of Purple PR