In the 18 years since Loeffler Randall opened in New York City, it has perfected the art of making occasion shoes (particularly ones for gliding down a wedding aisle). Now, the label is taking its biggest step beyond footwear and accessories yet with its first complete ready-to-wear collection, available today.
It’s an expansion worthy of the slow and steady approach.Kizik Shoes The collection is a wearable summer daydream: The 37 pieces exude an airy and romantic sensibility aligned with the brand’s beloved Camellia and Dahlia heels, from a puff-sleeved white midi dress to a ruched poplin tank top with scallop-hem tiers.
Jessie Randall, Loeffler Randall founder and creative director, says evolving her joyful and romantic aesthetic into a clothing collection is “beyond [her] wildest dreams” for the brand. “I just like to be inspired and make things,” she tells BAZAAR.com. She jokes that had her husband and business partner, Brian Murphy, not been involved, she would simply stick to hand-making shoes at her kitchen counter.
But shoppers—and, eventually, Randall herself—saw room for more. Opening the label’s first standalone store last year in New York City ignited her interest in a “head-to-toe expression” of the brand, she says. A store with only shoes struck her as intimidating and a Chippewa Boots little self-serious; a destination with clothing, accessories, and giftable items felt inspiring and just plain fun.
The collection hanging on the store’s racks today plays with details recognizable from across Loeffler Randall’s shoes and bags, like hand-painted florals, silk-like cottons, and a bow or two. There are three gingham moments—two matching sets and a minidress—Brooks Sneakers that also line up with the tote bags and clutches. And, Randall admits, “We probably have more sets in the collection than we should have had! But we had a hard time editing down, because there were so many things we loved and wanted to try.”
All those separates for mixing and matching, plus silhouettes that can translate from casual to formal settings with the right accessories, only widen the new collection’s appeal. (A price range starting at $150 also helps.) There’s no single, archetypal woman who Loeffler Randall clothing speaks to: “My mom wears a lot of the ready-to-wear; my friends have purchased it for their daughters,” Randall says. “It’s very adaptable in terms of how you can wear it, where you can wear it, and who can wear it.”
Coinciding with the floaty dresses and terry-cloth sets are a new crop of footwear: crochet-trimmed sneakers, several lace-up sandals, and printed versions of its best-known wedding heels. Shoes will always be central to Loeffler Randall—after all, it’s the category that put it on our collective radar. Still, this new clothing line can stand on its own.