Celebrities such as Kyline Alcantara, Lorin Gutierrez Bektas and Ella Pangilinan braved the storm yesterday to grace the opening of the flagship branch of New York fashion label Alice + Olivia in Greenbelt 5, Makati City.

Key sources from the event explained to DAILY TRIBUNE that Store Specialists Inc. (SSI) brought the brand to the Philippines to fill the gap between fast fashion and luxury segments, and to complement its other ready-to-wear labels like the recently launched Sandro and Maje.

What sets the flagship store apart is its high ceiling, two fitting rooms and nostalgic black and white tiles.

Walking into an Alice + Olivia store has been likened to walking into Stacey’s New York apartment — with wallpaper prints aligned with the clothes — as if entering the world of Stacey via her closet.

Alice + Olivia is about fashionable and wearable art. SSI believes the Philippines is ready for such upscale dressing.

Known for its whimsical and bold prints, Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet was established by its eponymous founder in 2002 after a personal quest to find the perfect pair of pants. The brand has since expanded from ready-to-wear to gowns, shoes, handbags and accessories, sought-after by the stars such as Meghan Markle, Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gigi Hadid and Jessica Alba.

The brand’s name is a combination of the names of the moms of Stacey and her friend, who was the brand’s co-founder, and it is their way of honoring their moms as a source of inspiration for their brand that espouses women’s empowerment.

The Greenbelt 5 store, the sister of the bigger store in Central Square mall in Bonifacio Global City and a new one being constructed in Rustan’s Makati, showcases the brand’s summer, resort and pre-spring RTW collections, featuring prints ranging from florals to geometric lines and Victorian patterns. The label’s signature silhouettes include hand-embroidered ensembles, Willa button-down shirts, corseted gowns “that hug in the right places,” and other pieces with the designer’s logo pattern iconically depicting her as wearing big round eyeglasses and red lipstick. Of these, the bestsellers are dresses.