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Party dressing season is here early thanks to the new collaboration between Rebecca Vallance and Nicky Hilton-Rothschild. The 31-piece capsule between the Australian brand that has become synonymous with occasion dresses and the American multihyphenate launched on Oct 1 to get shoppers into the holiday spirit early. “It’s the best time of the year. Everyone is happy and dressing up and going out,” Hilton-Rothschild tells Refinery29, referring to the drop as the “ultimate party dress collection.”
The two designers met after Hilton-Rothschild, who was a fan and a “genuine client” she tells us of the brand prior to the partnership, “slid into the DMs” of Vallance to locate one of the brand’s dresses while pregnant: “We just became friends from there.”
When the two started discussing collaborating, a holiday capsule quickly became the “obvious choice,” according to Vallance. “We both love holiday time. We both have the same aesthetic,” she says. “We love dressing up.” Featuring mini dresses and gowns in silk and satin and colors like black and deep red, the collection boasts party-forward details like sequins, bows, and embellishments that shoppers have come to expect from the brand that is additionally known for its bridalwear. But Vallance is quick to point out how the design process was a true fifty-fifty effort. “Nicky was involved as much as I was. We would talk about silhouettes, fabric choices,” she says. “She is a trained designer so it’s not a situation where she just slapped her name on it. This is a genuine collaborative collection.”
Vallance says that it’s that fashion experience — Hilton-Rothschild studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons The New School for Design, and previously had her own fashion lines — that appealed to her for the brand’s first collaboration of its kind. (While Rebecca Vallance has partnered with Australian Airline Qantas on business class pajamas and amenities kit, it’s the first time the label partnered with another fashion name.) “If you’re a trained designer, you know what’s going to work and what’s not,” she says. “It was never a crossword; it was easy and fun.” This came through in the designs, according to Vallance: “We showed the collection to our favorite department stores and online retailers through our illustrations, and they loved it so much, they bought it without seeing the samples. I think that speaks to the strength of the collection as well.”
When working on the dress styles, which range from a tuxedo-inspired mini to a sequin gown slip, Hilton-Rothschild wanted the clothes to be “sexy, sparkly, embellished”; feature Rebecca Vallance’s signature bow motifs; and highlight her go-to color: ice blue. “It’s my favorite color, I love it,” she says. “Rebecca was a little unsure about it [for the holidays]. She was like, ‘I was thinking more jewel tones, I don’t know about ice blue.’” After Hilton “stood firm” on the choice, the gown was created and, to Vallance’s surprise, became her favorite piece from the line when it went into production. “It actually turned into one of the best-sellers of the collection so it’s good to take chances when you’re designing a collection,” she says. “It often happens when you design a collection: the pieces you’re not sure about become your favorite by the time they get to stores.”
The photos for the collection — which, in addition to being inspired by “all our favorite RV looks that Nicky has worn,” Old Hollywood, and ‘90s supermodels, according to Vallance — were also shot at a London location close to Hilton’s heart. “Claridge’s is one of my favorite hotels in the world. I’ve been going since I was a baby, and I stayed there during my wedding. It’s just so timeless, classic, elegant, and the perfect backdrop for the campaign,” Hilton-Rothschild says.
With the collection arriving just before the kick-off of party season, Hilton-Rothschild hopes to see a lot of her friends and family wearing it throughout the holidays. “My family does their annual Christmas party, and I am so excited to dress everyone,” she says. “My mom and sister are big Rebecca Vallance fans, too”
Naturally, Vallance is invited.
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