Elegance should be Easy

When emerging designer Jill Lao envisioned a Spring/Summer 2022 collection for the modern day heroine, she thought to draw inspiration from the life and times of aviation legend, icon and pioneer, Amelia Earhart

- BIANCA SALONGA

The initial meeting with designer Jill Lao took place in a discreet creperie on the edge of the central business district. It was set on an afternoon hour ideal for a cup of coffee, but she expressed a preference for tea. “Chamomile, please," Lao specified timidly. You can tell a lot from the beverage of choice people make during this time of day. Immediately, the Parsons' School of Design alumna impressed as someone more at ease with working under the radar. Like tea, she had a subdued, shy and sometimes self effacing, nature about her. But it was by no means lacking in fervor, flair or flavor.

The blue drawstring jumpsuit she wore that day was just as clear a marker of her identity as a fashion designer. “I've always subscribed to a daily uniform. Something relaxed and easy to throw on. When I put together collections, I'm often inclined to add jumpsuit into the mix," shared Lao adding that, “This one is from our atelier, named Daphne.” Career, work, and everyday life of modern heroines, she said, inform the kind of clothes crafted by Jill Lao.

MOVING IN THE CORPORATE AND CONSUMER GOODS WORLD

Lao has always believed in less talk, more hard work. Even as a merchandising assistant and management consultant, she's shown mastery of left-brained skills. "I handled the figures, budgets, forecasts and pivot charts, which I loved,” Lao recalls. When she was called to work for the family business, Lao brought corporate savoir-faire to the consumer goods sector. “I would say I was pretty good at what I did, but never really felt that sense of excitement and fulfillment that I do now that I'm fully committed to fashion," she intimates.