Eye Candy: Tracy Reese & Timo Weiland Anthropologie collaboration launch party

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Attendees admiring a Tracy Reese dress.

WARNING: Photo-heavy post. You can see the full event slideshow on my flickr.

On Thursday night, Anthropologie’s 5th Ave store hosted a celebratory launch party for both its latest Made in Kind collaboration with Tracy Reese and to welcome new collaboration partners Timo Weiland! I was there, along with my fabulous +1 Usha of Tripping the Light Fantastic. Plenty of Eye Candy in this post, both from the event and some preview shots Anthropologie sent along of the collections. These newest collabs aren’t online yet, EA has the sneak peek!

The highlight of the well-attended event was meeting Tracy Reese as well as Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein, the team behind Timo Weiland!

For Ms. Reese, Made in Kind is a natural extension of a long-running relationship with Anthropologie. The brands initially met at the annual Coterie show in 1997 which was being held at the Plaza hotel that year. Anthropologie’s buying team flipped through Ms. Reese’s line book and she watched excitedly as they marked page after page of designs they wanted to carry in Anthropologie stores. Since then, Ms. Reese has utilized the partnership to launch her Plenty by Tracy Reese line (launced back in 2003) and Anthropologie has ordered exclusive pieces from the NYC-based designer.

The Revisited Impressionist Dress by Tracy Reese, 
part of the Made in Kind collaboration for Anthropologie.

The last round of Ms. Reese’s Made in Kind designs focused on nature-inspired digital prints, the most memorable of which was likely the Revisited Impressionist Dress. For fall Ms. Reese has swapped the color palette to a bold mix of reds, black and watery blues. Once again digital prints create fabrics that are both futuristic and organic.

“It’s amazing what you can do with digital printing,” Ms. Reese told me over a glass of Prosecco. “We wanted to create prints that looked like they could be organic mixes. We’d make something we liked and then just work with it, retreat it, make it more abstract until it was ready. We went for colors and prints that look rich. It’s all about celebrating femininity in the shapes and celebrating the season.”

The mostly longer silhouettes feature mainly full skirts helped by crinoline and a healthy mix of t-shirt style, tank style and halter topped dresses. A couple of shifts are thrown into the mix and one playful shirtdress (third shot below) takes the collection from night back into day.

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My personal favorite of the evening.

Timo Weiland’s pieces have a decidedly youthful garden vibe, with a mix of laser-cut designs and a bunch of silky lace-and-garden print pieces. Accents like bows trailing down the back of one dress (fourth shot below) or braiding along the neckline of another make the designs interesting whether you’re coming or going.

Alan Eckstein, one half of Timo Weiland, leaned over a dress form wearing his design excitedly as both 5th Ave Anthropologie staff and guests tried on the pieces. Like many of Anthropologie’s collaborators, their partnership was sealed after a visit to Anthro’s Navy Yard headquarters in Philadelphia. The collection itself reaches back to young French provincial women, asking what they might wear for the city life in Paris.

“It’s a mix of nature and the grit of the city,” Eckstein said. “Uptown meets downtown is what we do, and the Anthropologie side comes in the youthful and maybe a bit romantic feel of the clothes.”

 The biggest hit of the night seemed to be a long navy blue maxi with a lace bodice, open in the middle with a black neck tie (as seen on Usha further down in this post). When I asked Mr. Eckstein which piece was his favorite, he chose the eyeleted dress in the left on the shot immediately below.

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I took plenty more photos over the course of the evening! You can see the full slide show here.

Below are stock shots provided by Anthropologie of the Timo Weiland (first 6 shots) and Tracy Reese (last 7 shots) collaborations. These pieces will officially be online on Tuesday, with prices ranging from about $120-$300. But anthro card holders should watch their email this weekend…

While at the event Usha had a chance to try on Timo Weiland’s long blue maxi…

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…which looked fantastic! Usha’s in a 2 here, her usual size. The bodice has a large keyhole which the black tie somewhat covers. We were a bit skeptical that the fabric would be clingy and show every lump and bump, but it skims the body instead beautifully and is super flattering.

Below is my OOTE and below that let’s check out what some of the store dress forms wore to the party, shall we? Are you excited for these latest Made in Kind collaborations to hit the website? Will you look for them at your Anthropologie store?

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OOTE: Tibi Cameo Dress, Vince Camuto pumps, Banana Republic ring (old).
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from the 5th Ave (NYC) Anthropologie
On the left dress form: Shyle Sweater Shift ($138), Button-Trail Cardigan ($88), 
Reflected Buckle Belt ($58), ??? necklace.
On the right dress form: Fairisle Blazer ($128), Tweed Dots Pullover ($118), 
Chambray Work Shirt ($228), AG Stevie Cord ($168).
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from the 5th Ave (NYC) Anthropologie
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from the 5th Ave (NYC) Anthropologie
On the left dress form: Striated Lace Dress ($28), Single File Belt ($58), Noemi Scarf ($298).
On the right dress form: Peter Pan Pretender Sweater ($98), Stitched Chambray Buttondown ($228),
J Brand Brocade Maria ($242), ??? necklace. 

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from the 5th Ave (NYC) Anthropologie
On the left dress form: ??? necklace, Striped Thin-Ribbed Boatneck ($68), 
Pierced Floral Corset Belt ($48), Fringed Hem Sweater Skirt ($128).
On the right dress form: Pleated Collar Blazer ($128), Odval Cardi ($118), 
Ira Pleats Buttondown ($88), Pilcro Stet Slim Ankle Zippered Cords ($98).

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