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Only browse and shop online? Designer Rebecca Taylor says it’s time to get off the couch

Designer Rebecca Taylor attends the Rebecca Taylor x Shopbop Denim launch dinner at the Waverly Inn on Aug. 17 in New York City.
Designer Rebecca Taylor attends the Rebecca Taylor x Shopbop Denim launch dinner at the Waverly Inn on Aug. 17 in New York City.
(Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)
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Rebecca Taylor started her fashion line two decades ago, cutting and sewing at a kitchen table in Brooklyn that she had built herself.

Since then, the New Zealand-born designer has established free-standing stores in five states (her latest, in Miami, opened just as Hurricane Matthew hit). Her line also sells in retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus and in boutiques worldwide. Taylor is known for an aesthetic that is quietly dressy: Victorian-inspired blouses in silks and georgettes, ethereal dresses in subtle floral prints and neat peplum jackets.

Taylor, based in New York, was in Los Angeles last month to launch her new label, La Vie. The collection is predicated largely on denims — jeans in that of-the-moment high-waisted, ankle-skimming silhouette — ruffle tops, simple plaid dresses and twill jumpsuits.

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The collection, which is priced from $95 for a jersey tee to $395 for a twill coat, is exclusively available at Nordstrom and Rebecca Taylor stores as well as their online sites. There are about 25 styles in the La Vie line, with new pieces added every month.

“It won’t be all brand new,” said Taylor, of the new monthly offerings, shortly before a meet-and-greet with shoppers at Nordstrom at the Grove. “You know, the jeans that fit you, and you’ll want to get them in a new wash or new color.”

Taylor also chatted about how fashion has come full cycle and the importance of logging off the laptop, and, at least once in a while, shopping for clothes in a store.

Why the decision to launch La Vie now?

I was interested in evolving the Rebecca Taylor brand to include more casual and everyday pieces — hence, “La Vie” — “life.” We were dressing our girl, providing her with her wardrobing needs for work, a baby shower, a wedding. People dress in a much more casual way consistently. We thought it would be nice to dress the other side of this girl — what she wears when dropping the kids at school, en route to yoga, out to dinner with girlfriends. Most people really live in denim, and I wanted to make clothes that aren’t so silk-based — more cotton, linens, wool blends. The emphasis is on ease and washability. They’re not precious. You can throw them in the wash, and it’s not the end of the world.

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How has your own aesthetic evolved?

Fashion has come full circle. When my brand first started, I had a lot of touchstones: striped T-shirts and sweaters, cargo pants, Victorian blouses — there’s a lot of Victoriana out there in New Zealand. When I started, some of my key things were a snake moto, a little sequinned slip dress, something very feminine but also downtown. Then the pendulum swung to be more austere and androgynous, and that was a tricky time for us. It’s swung back the other way. Some of the pieces we had when I started I’m now pulling out of the archives room, and they feel good again.

You still have a thriving department store business instead of focusing all your efforts online. How come?

I still believe in brick-and-mortar. It’s important to have a venue for people to come together socially. So much of our collection is about a mother and daughter shopping together, buying pieces for a first job interview. There’s very much an emotional component there. We train our salespeople to treat customers like family and to make the experience important. You miss that when you shop on the Internet.

You started in a very grass-roots way. Do you think that’s still possible today?

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I don’t know if it’s doable on that level now. When I started out there was no “Project Runway.” I grew up not even knowing what a fashion designer was. Now, there are so many more people in the marketplace, and consumer buying habits change so rapidly. People move on quickly. We’re fortunate to have hard-core Rebecca Taylor fans. It’s the fit. It’s the consistency. They know what they are getting from us.

What are the essential things every woman should have in her wardrobe?

A great pair of jeans — our Beatrice jean spans a lot of ages and uses. It’s a play on a classic [Levi’s] 501, a slight vintage feel. It’s not too fashiony but has enough attitude that it feels designed. And I love a great army jacket. A black moto. A striped sweater. And a good red lipstick.

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