If you happened to tune in to watch this year’s Rip The Runway special on BET, then you’d have seen Byron Lars’ collection alongside Korto Momolu (from Project Runway) and Monif C. Byron Lars started designing under his own label in 1991 with a small collection of sportswear focusing on what Lars refers to as “twisted American classics.” Taking inspiration from such unlikely sources as his grandfather’s hunting jacket, Byron crossbreeds it with a “Dior New Look” proportion to create a Dutchess of Windsor meets Field and Stream hybrid.
Juxtapositions such as above, or as in taking a men’s cotton dress shirt and then distorting it to the point of resembling a Dorothy Lamour sarong, have become Byron Lars’ trademark. “When edgy fashion is steeped in something familiar, it becomes far less alienating to the consuming public,” says Lars.
After only his second season in business, Women’s Wear Daily hailed Byron as “Rookie of the Year.” His line was immediately snapped up by such prestigious retailers as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s as well as one hundred other specialty stores throughout the U.S. along with some distribution in the U.K. and France.
By the contractual end of his licensees, Byron chose to direct his energy away from the designer collection and focus on a contemporary line and pricing structure. “I wanted it to be more about the clothes and less about the ‘hype’,” says Lars. This redirection was the beginning of “Byron Lars Beauty Mark.” Initially a cotton Lycra shirting based offering, Beauty Mark took its cue from the shirts and shirt dresses of the previous collection that put the designer on the map (only this time, without the lofty price point). Since its inception, Beauty Mark has enjoyed eight years of success and is now expanding its product line to include knits, sportswear and dresses in addition to the chic and sexy shirts for which the line is highly sought after.
Here is an exerpt from his recent interview with AMBERmag.
AMBERmag.com: What was your inspiration for your current collection?
BL: I wanted to make pretty, yet modern clothes with construction and attention to detail that harkened back to the dress making and tailoring of the forties and fifties.
AMBERmag.com: What about the styles of the 40’s and 50’s intrigue you?
BL: I really love the level of polish that is indicative of that time period of fashion. I think it’s especially fresh to pair something ultra polished with something that is really not. For instance, a white wife beater under a flawlessly tailored, no-nonsense coatdress.
AMBERmag.com: Tell us about what you’re currently working on ?
BL: I am currently developing an extended size collection accomodating sizes 14 through 24. I am finally addressing a long- standing request of the many would be customers that can’t buy my clothes as they are sized at present.
AMBERmag.com: When will this line launch? How will it differ from your other lines? What are the price points?
BL: The plus size line is still a work in progress that I hope to get up and running by Spring 2010. Although it will be edited down, it won’t differ much from the main line and that is exactly what I hope to set it apart from the plus size offering currently available out there. The price points will be contemporary with the look and detailing of high end.
Here are some lookbook images from Lars’ recent collection. I think its exciting that more designers are delving into the plus size world! Are you excited for what is to come?
(Lars’ autobiography and photos taken from LarsBeautyMark.com; interview exerpt from AMBERmag.com)
