Not so long ago, Novis was best known for its bold, art-inspired prints and painterly splashes of color. These days, designer Jordana Warmflash is all about texture. While in the past you could spot a hand-painted Novis print from across the room, her Spring ’17 collection required a closer look: Hand-crocheted knits, soft jacquards, and handmade glass buttons felt more in step with the personal, artisanal details women are looking for now. On a 90-degree day in Chelsea, the turquoise, white, and black hand-crocheted dress that opened the presentation felt like a breath of fresh air—ditto the A-line knit midi dress, which featured hand-crocheted stripes as well as machine-made ones, which will translate to a friendlier price point. (The entirely hand-crocheted dress might set you back a paycheck or two, but you likely won’t find anything similar at the department store.)
Warmflash typically designs each collection around a specific artist, from Ellsworth Kelly to Matisse. This season, she was thinking more broadly about geometry. The color-blocked and printed-silk pieces were the most literal riffs on that theme, but next to all the soft, touchable textures—like a vintage-y marigold jacquard dress with sweet covered buttons—they felt a bit flat. More compelling were the skirts and dresses in a crisp, white macramé lace, which will no doubt be a hit at retail. Romance isn’t Warmflash’s thing, so you’d never expect to see traditional lace in her collections, but the sleek, geometric lace she employed here was a nice surprise.
