One Minute With … Milly’s Michelle Smith

If vibrantly bright, nearly neon colors are your thing for fall, then the Milly collection is going to be your favorite label next season. Designer Michelle Smith was inspired by postmodernism to create something fun, vivid and very eye-catching.

We caught up with the designer before her show this week to talk about the colors, the fabrics (many of which she designed herself) and the very cool set.

theFashionSpot: The set looks incredible. It’s very Tron-like.

Michelle Smith: Tron? Interesting, I like it!

tFS: Talk to me about the collection references.

MS: I started off thinking about postmodernism, especially through postmodern graphic design and music, so you’ll see the color palette is very vibrant. Last fall, my collection was very muted, there was a lot of gray, black, touches of ballet pink, so I really wanted to go vibrant this season. And those postmodern colors that are very graphic and bold, I made them more modern today by mixing them with odd colors like gray, burgundy, almost a fleshy nude.

tFS: Almost a different kind of neutral.

MS: Yeah, it breaks the graphic nature of the bright color and it makes it relevant and modern for today.

tFS: It’s easier to wear. If you’re going to wear neon pink you want some other color to wear with it.

MS: Definitely. And it makes it interesting. Like, what a different color combination!

tFS: And the fabrics you’re using are pretty different.

MS: I designed a lot of the fabrics I’m using. I’ve married classic fabrics — like an Italian wool fabric and I bonded it. I took it and I treated it here in New York City and used a bonding technique on it. It creates beautiful body and sculpture. With this fabric, I was able to sculpt the garment.

Images: Imaxtree