A Look Inside Dauphinette's SS27 Show, and Olivia Cheng's Creative Vision

Ava: What went into choosing that specific piece from your line to wear at the show, and what’s the story behind it?

Olivia: I always like to make a look for myself to wear at the show. I know it is a bit unconventional and to some it might seem self-indulgent, but it’s been a fun personal tradition for the past several years. This season we made a simple, crinkled black cotton version of one of my favorite dresses from the collection— a racerback halter dress with a huge boned, gathered skirt. Assessing throughout development which look will be “mine too” has also turned into a consumer test. For me, as a 5’4” consumer and not the founder and obviously not a runway model, what feels like the piece that I “have to have”? And how can we make these runway pieces feel accessible and real to our audience? My look tends to be the first test-case.

Ava: You described "Lady Mondegreen" as an introspective, deeply personal memoir of day-one Dauphinette as you reflect on your twenties. Beyond your own archives, where did you draw inspiration from for this collection?

Olivia: I looked at a lot of 1930s fashion and jewelry sketches and also impressionistic paintings. The collection itself is not deeply evocative of the 1930s but we definitely started off with some of those silhouettes and then pushed the question of: how can we make this feel Dauphinette, and feel current, and not only like a vintage echo but like something truly new?

Ava: The collection revolves around the concept of a mondegreen—a misheard phrase given a whole new meaning. Was there a specific misheard lyric, phrase, or memory that sparked this idea of living in the space between worlds?

Olivia: Not really. I wrote about this in my show notes as well but on a personal level, I think I mainly relied on the idea of the mondegreen as a metaphor for my experience of the past several years of life— placing inevitable expectations on a decade of life (my 20s) which is universally characterized by rapid change, and about managing my own expectations within uncertainty.

Ava: You debuted Florganza on Saturday, an innovative textile that took over 22 hours of hand-placing thousands of pressed flowers. What was the inspiration behind Florganza?

Olivia: Pressed flowers are the backbone of Dauphinette. As the brand learns, improves, elevates, and grows, I wanted to showcase what that would look like for our flowers. We wanted the fabric itself to become the story, to be irresistible, and I think Florganza accomplishes that.

Ava: Between custom PUMA Speedcats, painted UGGs, surplus bread bags, and Victorian-beaded bras, your accessory choices are wildly varied. How do you decide which accessories to go with your collection?

Olivia: I’m beyond grateful to have incredible partners that want to be part of our runway, and my main job is to make sure that every single partner has its own distinct POV within the collection while also ensuring that their pieces feel integrated into the collection story at large. We don’t style the accessories at the last minute, especially since we’re working with other amazing (also big) brands like UGG, Puma, and Thirdlove. This season we took a painterly approach to UGG, a botanical approach to Puma, and a subversive approach to Thirdlove. All of these fit into our collection concept at large but we begin these conversations and developments many months in advance. So I think that the decision really lies in knowing that the accessories aren’t the styling, they’re part of the backbone of the collection and equally important characters in the cast of Dauphinette SS27.

Ava: You launched Dauphinette right out of your dorm room at age 19 with just $2,000 in savings. Looking back eight years later, what advice would you give young designers trying to start their own line?

Olivia: You have the option of rejecting someone’s rejection! Respectfully, of course. Also, work hard, don’t dilly dally, and don’t pester people while trying to reject their rejection.