Tracy Reese Fall/Winter 2013

Tracy Reese is known for a certain brand of pretty–city smart with plenty of pops of bright color, but always sophisticated. The Reese woman may be headed to the office or to a swanky soiree, but she still loves mixing things up and showing a confidence with her fashion.

If Reese is known for her mix of pretty and funky, she’s also shown a terrific ability to try new things without losing hold of her own style. For her fall 2013 collection,  Reese brought a bit of urban edge to the table. But fear not, Reese fans. The slightly more streetwise, Tracy Reese woman is still looking pretty.

Prints, a staple of the Reese aesthetic, played a major role in this latest collection, especially animal prints. Cheetah, zebra—sometimes combined with ocelot, and a mélange described as an animal jacquard, all promised to make women purr. Of course, since this is Tracy Reese, there was almost always a little something extra added to the mix that took the animal print from typical to terrific.

A cheetah print back belt coat, for example had little dots of orange. A cheetah print sweater was wrought in bronze sequins. Zebra print pieces included a brown and beige zebra/ocelot jacquard skinny pant with jodhpur-like leather patches down the inner thigh and a zebra/ocelot jacquard godet trench. A terrific silk dress combined cerise zebra with a floral.

Motorcycle-styled jackets also provided plenty of power including a clever praline and black contrast jacket done in double face wool, and another in hot pink leather that elicited more than a few happy exclamations from those in the audience.

Black lace was also used for several charming pieces including a perfect black flocked lace flared dress for the Sunday brunch set.

Reese knows her ladies well. They may be urban and may even want to dip a toe, on occasion, into tougher territory. But at the end of the day, they still want to look sophisticated and, yes, pretty.

—Karyn D. Collins