Launching this week, Assoulin’s new label By Any Other Name will be a stand-alone collection that offers “a more informal expression of Rosie’s designs outside of her namesake label.” (Even if at $595 to $1295, the line might be more casual in name alone.) The debut 15-piece collection is exquisite—and perfect for the weather change we’re finally, slowly but surely, beginning to experience.
In line with Assoulin’s feminine silhouettes there’s a white, double-breasted blazer dress (this season’s favorite item!), a shirtdress in velvet pinstripes, oversized boatneck tops, and box-pleated skirts. With imagery shot on what looks like a spring day in New York City—a model about to ride a bike, making a bodega trip, eating a pizza slice by an omnipresent green construction wall—you can see both the function and the fun of these pieces.
As The New York Times‘ Isabel Wilkinson pointed out, when we talk about uniform dressing, it usually means a standard white shirt and black pants. But Assoulin’s By Any Other Name knows that everyday basics don’t have to mean the same basics for everyone—there can still be some whimsy, ruffles, and velvet pinstripes.
“Our collection and our customer is very attracted to the celebratory elements, they call it ‘occasion wear,’ and the reality is that there is also this other part of life that needs and deserves to be celebrated in its own way,” Assoulin told The Times.
You can shop By Another Other Name available now on its eponymous website and at retailers including Nordstrom, Moda Operandi, FortyFiveTen, and Saks Fifth Avenue.