Raquel Allegra Pre-Fall 2022 Collection

Raquel Allegra takes pride in making seriously casual, comfortable fashion: tie-dyed T-shirts, flowing jersey dresses, sweats and joggers hand-washed to buttery softness. She’s a believer in the “magical powers” of comfort, the way a cashmere hoodie or pebbled silk pants can soothe anxiety and protect us from stress. And yet the standout piece in her pre-fall 2022 collection was… a cocktail dress. But it’s far from your average A-line LBD. Allegra’s winning silk dress comes in a swirl of icy pastels—orchid, mint, lilac—with round, pleated sleeves, a gently pin-tucked waist, and an easy below-the-knee hemline. It’s the kind of dress an RA girl would wear to a summer wedding—maybe with sparkly sandals, as it’s styled here—but she’d just as easily throw it on with sneakers. That kind of unfussy, wear-anywhere ease will resonate with a wide range of women, particularly those among us who can’t justify investing in a strappy, single-use “wedding guest” dress.

Those shopping for real life rather than events might gravitate towards the silk trousers, scoop-neck dresses, and lofty knits in the same vivid palette of acid-y violet, aqua, and earthy shades of sepia and rust. As always, the dip-dyed silks and hazy, tiger-like stripes of pigment were each a result of her team’s delicate hand-dyeing techniques; where other brands might resort to digital prints that can be mass-produced, Allegra is adamant that you can feel the difference in a hand-finished garment.