Hailing from Los Angeles, and under the creative direction of British designer Caroline Belhumeur, Vince is the epitome of the Californian cool-girl aesthetic. The Spring/Summer 24 collection oozes that kind of Cali-girl nonchalance that makes you want to book a one way ticket and relocate to the dramatic coastline and scorching sun the infamous US state is romanticized for. A cool color palette references the savage nature surrounding its Hollywood Hills home, and deliciously tactile fabrics hug the body and enhance its natural forms. Through on-the-ground research of actually wearing the clothes themselves, the team at Vince pay attention to all too often forgotten little details that bring a functional edge to its pieces, such as trouser pockets, inside pockets in jackets, and zips. Details that are, for some reason, typically reserved for menswear are elegantly constructed into the soft tailoring and skirts, which incidentally come in an array of natural fibers, many of them celebrated for their resistance to crease and sag. Whilst the term “quiet luxury” has been thrown around incredibly loosely over the last few seasons, Vince is a brand that lives and breathes the term to its core. Understated pieces in exceptional fabrics, designed to last a lifetime, and even to pass between generations. It’s not a wardrobe that is built on fleeting trends, but instead exceptional pieces that can be built into any existing garderobe. We sat down with Caroline for a quick fire round of questions to get to know the brand and the collection…

RB Describe this collection in three words. 

CB It has to be our brand motto which is, “Understated Luxury from California.” That’s four words, but the “from” doesn’t really count as a word does it! 

RB And so what does “quiet luxury” or “understated luxury” mean to you?

CB Vince is and always has been about quiet luxury so although it’s everywhere at the moment, for us it is really ingrained into each collection. For me it’s the sort of luxury of having something that you don’t need to shout about and at the same time something that you can wear forever. It’s a lifestyle in itself, of getting your quality time back because it’s so easy to put together. It’s very natural and not contrived. 

RB Who is the ultimate Vince muse?

CB I find that such a difficult question because I’m always influenced by so many different people and things. I think if I had to choose though I would say Joan Didion. She is a lovely muse because I love her writing so much. I watched the documentary about her, “The center will not hold” which was directed by her nephew Griffin Dunne, and it was so beautiful. She’s so interesting. I wasn’t aware of the tragedy regarding her daughter and her husband prior to watching it, it’s a very moving story. Her writing has this quiet sophistication to it that I feel comes into the collection. She also lived in Malibu in a beautiful beach house and she was always surrounded by artists and other creatives. It’s the very essence of Vince as I see it. Harrison Ford was her handyman for a while before he made it big! Isn’t that just incredible! 

RB Tell us what your studio and design space is like.

CB It is a one story, large building at the foot of the Hollywood Hills. It’s all white with big windows and big garage doors that open for the summertime (and beyond, it’s California after all so it’s almost always open!) There are big concrete floors, a big couch and we’ve got a lot of space that we keep it pretty clean and open. We’re all together, the pattern makers, the sewing room, the fabrics, so it’s very seamless and quite lovely. We’re very lucky.

RB Three words for how you feel about 2024.

CB That’s not an easy question to answer! Don’t make me do that! I guess I would say that I’m very curious. I’m cautious because we have our elections this year, so that is a little scary to me. But I dare to also feel optimistic that people will make the right decision. And I’m also looking forward to some travel and doing some things that maybe I haven’t done before. So that in itself makes me cautious, curious and optimistic.

RB What music were you listening to when creating this collection? 

CB I have so much music going on all the time, it’s a real mix. Although I do tend to get a little obsessed with one album and then I play it over and over again. It always makes me laugh when I get my Spotify Wrapped, and I’m like, I’m sure I didn’t just listen to that! But I did like Lil Yachty’s album “Let’s Start Here” recently, I wouldn’t particularly say that I’m a Lil Yachty’s fan, but I just couldn’t stop listening to it.

RB I think that’s nice, though, going back to listen to albums like that in their true form. I try to do it because I think that Spotify and streaming has almost killed the album. They are a curated piece of work that the artist has spent a lot of time working on, making a journey from A to b. And I guess that’s why it becomes so much nicer the more you listen as well…

CB Exactly! Because when I’m thinking about presenting a collection I often spend a lot of time thinking about the order I wish for it to be received in. It must be a similar process to pieceing an album together. You have to consider the pace of the work and how you want the emotion to run through it.

RB Can you describe a day in the life of the Vince Woman?

CB When I think about a Vince woman I think of so many different people. And also so many different people within one woman, today’s women have to be so versatile! And there’s a joy in that as well. It’s really what we tried to embody in the campaign, this shifting idea of waking up and dressing for your day. Mixing different elements of your wardrobe together in new ways to create the person you desire, or require for that particular day ahead of you. So she doesn’t have a “typical day” so to speak. Each day she wakes up to something different and her wardrobe equips her with the comfort and style she needs to conquer it. You don’t always want to show up the same, do you? Sometimes you’re like, I want to be a power woman today, or I have a meeting where I need to impress. Other days you might know you’ve got a long drive in the car and you don’t want your clothes to get creased so you’ll select your fabrics more carefully and most likely want to wear sneakers, something that’s not going to look like a hot mess when you reach your destination. She’s someone who has a different mood every day and she’s someone who embraces that mood and dresses for the occasion.

Discover the full collection at vince.com