We Get Coachella-Ready with Alessandra Ambrosio at the Launch Her New Line ále

Alessandra Ambrosio at Planet Blue in Beverly Hills

Alessandra Ambrosio at Planet Blue in Beverly Hills

It’s not often that I’ve gone to a clothing launch only to end up ripping the clothes off the live model. Well, I didn’t exactly rip them off her, but let’s just say she was hustled into a fitting room and given no choice.

The reason for this undignified drama? Model Alessandra Ambrosio’s new clothing line, Ale by Alessandra. Mostly known for rocking  Victoria’s Secret underwear and for, well, being preternaturally gorgeous, Ambrosio has stepped away from the panty drawer and created a line straight out of her own seamless, off-duty model lookbook. Joining other models with capsule clothing lines, most recently Lily Aldridge for Velvet, Ambrosio is selling us a slice of her personal style — and we want it!

And with Coachella dressing hot on our mind, this boho chic line chock-full of silky maxidresses, ponchos and peasant tops with names such as ‘indio’ ‘acacia’ and ‘desert dream’ seemed the perfect place to start. (In case you didn’t notice the picture: Ambrosio was, after all, standing in a teepee – pictured at left.)

ale by alessandra ambrosio into the mystic dress

Alessandro Ambrosio wears the Into The Mystic Twist Dress from her line ále by Alessandra.

We sat down with her at the launch party at collaborating boutique, Planet Blue in Beverly Hills, where Ambrosio told us that she has long dreamed of creating her own line. (Not to worry: Ambrosio was not the model who gave up her clothes for us.)

Alessandra Ambrosio and Vanessa Hudgens at the ále by Alessandra launch at Planet Blue

Alessandra Ambrosio and Vanessa Hudgens at the ále by Alessandra launch at Planet Blue

“I always loved fashion,” she says. “When I was five years old my godmother was a tailor. I would get the fabrics she wasn’t using and make clothes for my dolls. Since then I had a thing for clothes. When I went to school, all I cared about was what I was wearing. I remember it being really, really cold and I would wear super crop tops, not showing my belly, but with high-waist stuff, and my parents would say, ‘put some clothes on!’”

Ambrosio says her collaboration with the retailer was an easy pairing.

“I’ve been a big fan of Planet Blue for so long — since I moved to California,” she says. “It was like love at first sight. … I think we had the same taste and the same type of vision.”

Sophie Richie browsing the ále by Alessandra collection at Planet Blue

Sophie Richie browsing the ále by Alessandra collection at Planet Blue

We admit, the Ale collection does slot perfectly into Planet Blue’s breezy boho style. There are beautifully cut basics: tanks and tees featuring luxe twists such as off-the-shoulder necklines, tie-backs, draped cropped shapes and three-quarter sleeves. And then there are flirty, feminine separates: paisley-printed silk chiffon blouses, diaphanous maxi dresses, laser-cut flowered tops, trapeze silk tanks and sexy short dresses. For the night’s event, Ambrosio chose to wear her silky, bias-cut Dreamcatcher Maxibackless maxi dress ($235) in a caramel-nude hue featuring delicate back chains — and probably not much in the way of the Victoria’s Secret underpinnings that she’s famous for showcasing.

The launch attracted plenty of fashion mavens and a few celebs, too. Vanessa Hudgens came and went, looking decidedly rock chick in a leather top and mini which she paired with on-trend dark lipstick – something of a departure from her usual silky-print/ripped jeans/floppy hat combo. Pretty Sofia Richie, teen sister of Nicole, stopped by, as did actress Cassie Scerbo and a heavily-pregnant Kendra Wilkinson, who definitely got the boho-theme memo, arriving in a blue maxi dress.

Ale by Alessandra Ambrosio Karma Skort

The Karma Skort by ále by Alessandra Ambrosio

But while Wilkinson was flipping through the racks, I was on a mission. My target: the Constellation Shortie, a pair of silk sporty-cut shorts ($158). At first I feared that they would only work on the model walking around the store. However, after being removed from said model I tried them on found that they did everything one would wish a pair of shorts to do. Skim and flatter from every angle? Check. Provide optimal bend-over coverage? Done.  Soft elastic waist? Indeed! Goodbye muffin-top, hello wear-with-everything. And I was pleased to snag the very last pair. Ladies, I highly recommend. They come in black or white. I went with black.

There might have been one other item that went into my bag… The Karma Layer Skort ($158), a shirred-waist silk chiffon tiered miniskort. Yes, skort. It bore a striking resemblance to an Isabel Marant Etoile skirt that was on my list, and it was too gorgeous to pass up. Let’s just call it good shopping karma.

ále by Alessandra is available exclusively at Planet Blue locations and online at shopplanetblue.com.

Shop our breezy, boho-inspired Coachella picks:

Images courtesy Alessandra Ambrosio and Planet Blue

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