Alice + Olivia Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Stacey Bendet is an unapologetic maximalist. And her new Alice + Olivia collection expressed that more-is-more approach in a multitude of ways. Photos won't do justice to the variety of textures here, which Bendet tended to mash up and play off one another within looks. To pick an example of her approach, take one gold-toned look comprised of a patchwork faux fur, a wholly beaded striped top, and a glittery coated-wool miniskirt. Bendet showed that ensemble with a leopard-print scarf, tiger-print bag, and knee-high tan platform boots. She's always adding. 

Elsewhere, there were boiled wools, bouclé, popcorn knits with embedded pearls, bonded-leather knit jackets, laser-cut and embroidered leather pants, and a panoply of laces and brocades. Not all the looks were as texturally dense—there was a slouchy little beaded suit, and the most memorable outfit matched a simple navy turtleneck with a gown-size skirt in a vivid tropical print. These were outliers, though, which speaks to Bendet's devotion to multiplicity. It may not spell coherence, but as a strategy, it's rather sly—no matter your personal style, you'd have been hard-pressed not to find something here you liked, whether it was the cool bonded-knit motorcycle jacket, or the metallicized ski sweater, or a little brocade tee, or a boudoir-ish feather-trimmed frock from the Alice + Olivia eveningwear capsule. Bendet offers an array of propositions and invites girls to pick and choose.