Brazil meets Malibu in Alessandra Ambrosio boho chic collection
We’ve seen supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio posing in bejeweled bikinis and gigantic feather wings. Now she’s crossing over to the other side of the camera, creating a line of beachy, bohemian clothing called ále by Alessandra.
The longtime Victoria’s Secret Angel draws on her Brazilian heritage and Southern California lifestyle for the collection, which is scheduled to debut at Planet Blue stores and www.shopplanetblue.com on March 15.
“It reflects my everyday life,” Ambrosio says of the collection, whose pieces sell for $60 to $260. “It’s very Brazil-meets-Malibu and boho chic, which is what I love to wear in California and when I travel.”
Her schedule is never short on traveling for photo shoots, but she has called Santa Monica home for the last six years. And since it was the Southern California desert that inspired the color palette for her first collection — an array of beige, nude, tan and cayenne pepper red — it seemed only natural to shoot the campaign images in the high desert a couple hours outside Los Angeles.
Ambrosio directed and modeled in the campaign, wearing her collection of drapey tank tops, jumpsuits and maxi dresses, all styled with signature bohemian flare.
Indigo-colored wrap dresses, breezy peasant tops, paisley print ruffled skirts, tie-dyed maxi dresses and V-neck jumpsuits are included in Ambrosio’s collection. Done mostly in gauzy fabrics, with open backs or at shorter lengths, each piece screams of summer, but the model-designer assures that they are just as versatile for cooler climates as they are for hot days at the beach.
“They are all easy pieces and very practical,” she says. “I am always on the run, taking my daughter here or my son there, going to work, meeting people or on to a red carpet event. You just never know. It’s good to have clothing that’s practical and goes with every mood.”
She advises layering the collection and pairing an ensemble with flat boots for a colder climate, as she does while on a preschool pickup or en route to a photo shoot.
For warmer months, the cropped tank tops, micro running shorts and sleeveless T-shirts are fine on their own or thrown over a bathing suit — a notion Ambrosio seems completely comfortable with.
“I’m always forever on vacation,” she says. “I can be in the most boring place in the world, but if I am wearing something nice, then I’m always on vacation.”