Whoever said romance is dead? Five years after stepping away from Brock Collection, the fashion label Kris Brock started with his then-wife Laura Vassar, the Texas-born designer debuted his new namesake brand—simply named Brock—during Paris fashion week.
Not unlike Brock Collection, the new 20-something piece lineup comprises a hyper-feminine mix of bias-cut slipdresses, pintucked cotton camisoles with lace detailing, bubble-hem skirts, and vintage-inspired prints. Also in common with Brock’s previous brand, the label is richly informed by his signature aesthetic of Victoriana with western references—but “it’s a very different price point,” he noted during a recent visit to his Paris showroom.
With most pieces priced below $1,000, Brock said he set out to create an accessible, design-driven luxury brand intended for everyday wear. “The pieces don’t feel too precious.
You can live in them and wear them all the time,” he said, holding up a pair of silky beige and floral-printed tap shorts. Standing nearby, a model wore a frilled lace crop-top with a pair of washed denim jeans.
“Naturally there’s going to be some crossover because it’s my DNA. There’s a romanticism that’s inherent in me,” he went on.
“But the landscape has changed so much since Brock Collection. I wanted to make something that’s ‘designer,’ but easier to say yes to.”
The fashion environment has altered dramatically from that of Brock Collection’s heyday. The brand, which won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2016, was often seen on the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, and Meghan Markle.
It was stocked by major retailers such as Barneys, Moda Operandi, Maxfield, Jeffrey, and The Webster—some of which have since shuttered or lost locations. In the meantime, luxury costs have risen to staggering figures, while fast fashion has continued to flood the market with compelling luxury lookalikes.
After presenting Brock Collection’s last ready-to-wear collection in March 2021, Brock stepped away from fashion, focusing instead on creative projects through his namesake consultancy studio. A collaboration with the LA fashion label V. Chapman earlier this year, however, rekindled his interest in designing clothes. For his first solo venture, he even photographed the lookbook, featuring the model Constance Jablonski.
Among the trim lineup, launching exclusively on Moda Operandi and through Brock’s own e-commerce site in November, expect plenty of tiered-ruffled frocks in cotton poplins and Italian jacquards, high-low hems, and voluminous layerables in lace and crinkled metal-cottons. Boned corsets, drawstring ties, and lace insertions—typically a garment’s underpinnings—are deliberately revealed on several pieces.
“I love boning details, and wanted to incorporate those into everyday wear,” explained Brock, who was once a tailor. He held up a floral dress with its fabric falling open in the back, and shoulder straps that teasingly fall off the shoulders: “When you wear this, you feel secure, but it lends a sort of disheveled, undone look.”
Counterbalancing all the ultra-feminine pieces, the collection also features several utilitarian, workwear-inspired elements, including denim jeans in a cut inspired by classic vintage Levi’s, and a pale pink cinched-waist field jacket. Going forward, Brock, who’s based in Los Angeles and plans to release three collections a year, isn’t writing off the idea of a runway show—maybe in the City of Light.
“I’m gonna stay in California, but I’d like to try and do it here,” he said. “I’ve always been drawn to Paris.”