Magda Berliner launches lace capsule collection

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Lace is a huge fashion trend for spring, but for L.A.-based designer Magda Berliner, it’s never gone out of style.

Dresses and skirts made from collages of vintage white lace have been a constant in her line for eight years. The only problem was producing enough of the one-of-a-kind, heirlooms-in-the-making to satisfy demand. Enter ShopBop.com. Berliner has collaborated with the online retailer on a new lace capsule collection.

‘A kind of indie fan club developed after Ashley Olsen wore one of my lace dresses six years ago,’ Berliner says. ‘I was getting emails from young girls who wanted the same dress, but I had to explain that each dress was one-of-a-kind and had to be custom made.’

The styles featured on ShopBop include a lace ribbon skirt with scalloped hem ($847), a high-neck dress with sheer yoke ($2,640) and a V-neck ‘Victoria’ dress ($1,870). Although the silhouettes were standardized for the collection, the vintage lace still varies from piece to piece.

Berliner first gained notice for her vintage-inspired clothing in the early 2000s as part of a group of L.A. designers with a similar upcycled aesthetic that included Jared Gold and Alicia Lawhon. At the time, Berliner showed on the runway in L.A. and New York. She still produces a ready-to-wear collection sold at Curve on Robertson and other boutiques. But she believes her legacy is really in lace.

‘I’ve been working with limited-edition fabrics since the beginning. Flea markets were my first stop whenever I would travel anywhere,’ she says. ‘Now, people I’ve met along the way are my resources. I text and email them, they send me a box of lace and I send back what I don’t want.’

‘I have dresses made from the edges of tablecloths, runners, tea towels and pillow cases. Some of the lace pieces have been handed down, so you will see initials or letters of the alphabet or animal themes if they were made for children.’

Which makes for quite a wearable piece of history.

-- Booth Moore

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