Pari Desai: Your New Favorite LA Designer

For fashion designers, getting dressed is just as much of a turn-on as getting undressed.

And for LA- based Pari Desai, the gradual addition of layers is what gets her excited. Her fave season is neither Summer nor Fall, but the in-between: “When it’s still warm enough to enjoy being outside, but you start to see the layering of knits, coats, and textures as the chill approaches.” The Fall/Winter collection for her eponymous line is cool indeed but it will certainly keep you warm. She finds an elusive balance between chic and casual charm, the best-dressed girl at the dinner party quoting from the most recent presidential debate. Before she launched her newly minted womenswear brand, Desai designed for A.P.C. and prior to that she was at Calvin Klein. Her knit designs exude a calm femininity, almost as if she had sewn in a magical strand of confidence and poise.

While she’s busy presenting her next collection, Desai is able to answer a few questions on likes and inspos. How does she like her coffee? “To-go.” What was her favorite outfit as a girl? “Terrycloth shorts and a Garfield T-shirt.” Her best answer is how she goes weak in the knees for the filmmaker Claire Denis. The way that she described her movies is exactly how we would describe Desai’s line: “Her style and way of seeing has challenged me to pare everything down to the most essential and poetic gesture.”

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