Stella Jean Trades Haiti For The Himalays With New Collection

After last season's ode to her ancestral home, Haiti, Stella Jean opened Milan Fashion Week this morning with a trip to the Far East. "This time, the Stella Jean woman chooses the Himalyas," founder Stella Novaraino told WWD, speaking of the inspiration behind her fall 2015 collection. This season's location surfaced in the form of exotic prints all over Anglo-friendly plaid dresses, dense cashmere coats, and sherpa-ready fur vests, continuing the brand's tradition of merging stiff European tailoring with rich, far-flung textiles. Check out highlights from the collection below, and for more on the city's emerging designer scene, read our Spring Style spotlight on young Milan designers.