Simon Miller’s Chelsea Hansford would like to welcome you to the Valley. The San Fernando Valley in California to be precise. That’s right, the place that has inspired countless movies (most recently Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza) and given us the subcultural youth stereotype of “the valley girl,” was the starting point for Hansford’s pre-fall collection.
“This is my interpretation of the Valley,” Hansford said at a preview. “All of these amazing, iconic mid-century spots are for me the backdrop of this city.” Old-school diners, motels, disco clubs, and tiki bars informed the vibrant palette of blues, reds, and greens. The colors came alive on hand-painted polka dot prints in mesh, colorful sequin going out dresses and separates, and varsity logo tees. While these ideas will capture the attention of the youthful Simon Miller customer, a pair of printed colorblock cargos and a skirt struck a particularly compelling cord with their zesty graphicality.
Hansford’s strong suit is accessories. This time around, pointed penny loafers (with a Simon Miller logo penny included) stood out, as did metallic lamé going-out bags, made to match the ready-to-wear collection’s metallic trench coats, that Hansford reports, have been the buyers’ favorites so far. It’s hard to resist shiny things.
The label shot this season’s lookbook at the Valley Relic Museum, home to area icons like Bob’s Big Boy Burgers. As graphic and recognizable as her inspiration was, Hansford, to her credit, wasn’t literal with her explorations, but she did capture the kitschy essence of its ’70s and ’80s visual tropes and transport them to 2022. She knows how to have fun, and knows that her pieces need to do no more than unlock this potential within all her customers. Paul Thomas Anderson said Licorice Pizza was his love letter to the San Fernando Valley; consider this collection Hansford’s own dispatch.
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