Following her standout New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) debut last year, Claudia Li will return to the official schedule on August 19th with A Love Letter to New York, a salon-style presentation at The Northern Club.
The presentation will also unveil the designer’s first made-to-order offering, spanning bespoke luxury eventwear, bridal and occasion dressing. Designed to sit alongside the label’s seasonal collections, Li said the made-to-order line represents a natural evolution for the brand, both personally and creatively.
“After more than a decade of building the brand through seasonal collections, I have been thinking a lot about intimacy, longevity and the relationship someone has with a garment,” she told FQ. “I love the idea of making fewer pieces with greater intention, and creating something for a person and a moment they will always remember.”
Inspired by the city where Li built her career and met her husband, A Love Letter to New York explores occasion dressing through the city’s unexpected romance, effortless style and inherent sense of theatre. The collection follows the moments surrounding a celebration – from a City Hall ceremony and intimate dinner to a late-night gathering and the walk home through the city.
“I wanted it to feel cinematic,” she said. “The city can be intense, loud, and overwhelming, but romance still finds its way into the smallest and most unexpected moments.”
Remaining true to Li’s signature aesthetic, the collection reinterprets occasion dressing through sculptural silhouettes, architectural tailoring and unexpected volume. Expect silk duchess satin, taffeta and jacquard in a palette of ivory and black, punctuated by accents of lavender, cherry blossom pink and antique gold. Complementing the collection, Li has partnered with Partridge Jewellers, curating a selection of fine jewellery to be worn by models throughout the presentation.
“At its heart, this collection is a series of modern heirlooms for celebration, memory, and the art of dressing up,” she said.
