Lafayette 148: Garden Party
In the heat of summer, Emily Smith of Lafayette 148 gathered her design team at her newly purchased upstate New York home to explore ideas for the brand’s pre-fall collection. The intention wasn’t merely to decorate a house, but to conduct hands-on, garden-inspired research that would influence the clothing line.
Smith explains that the project was driven by a desire for work-life balance and a growing passion for gardening. Rather than chasing perfection, she focuses on the joy of experimentation in the garden, a mindset that translated into tangible fashion concepts. Plants and layouts from the garden sparked creative directions: the neat geometry of flowerbeds became gridded prints for leisure suits; the delicate texture of Chantilly cross-stitch knits drew from towering foxglove and lupin blooms; and raffia baskets inspired embellishments on a stretch jersey cropped jacket and a minidress.
This hobby also encouraged brighter, more unexpected color pairings. The collection features vivid combinations such as poppy orange with hydrangea blue, grounded by earthy browns. The palette aligns with the broader theme of masculine-meets-feminine elements in chambray, denim workwear, and garden-inspired gear.
The design process was collaborative and hands-on. The team was urged to sketch freely, bring back paintings, and even create a scarf that carried everyone’s illustrations. To anchor these inspirations in the brand’s DNA, the prints are bold and graphic yet maintain a minimalist New York feel. Large watercolor iris motifs, painted in the garden, appear across pieces like a simple silk-linen dress, and are abstracted onto a fluid apron shirt and a pencil skirt.
Smith notes that gardening has become a source of happiness for both herself and her team. The collection invites wearers to share in that sense of joy through feminine, serene, and elegant garments designed for everyday living.
But here’s where it gets controversial: some may question whether a garden-inspired, color-forward approach can sustain the brand’s luxury identity, or whether these playful elements risk feeling temporary. And this is the part most people miss: the way a hobby can recalibrate a house’s entire design language—how a garden’s textures and color rhythms translate into durable, wearable pieces that still feel undeniably Lafayette 148.
What do you think about weaving personal hobbies into high fashion collections? Can such inspirations endure beyond a single season, or do they risk dating the line? Share your views in the comments.
