Silvia Tcherassi Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Her Pre-Fall 2023 Collection

In case you missed it on Instagram, Miami-based, Colombian-born designer Silvia Tcherassi presented her pre-fall 2023 collection last week on a balmy night during Art Basel Miami, and it was a sight to behold. For one reason, she chose to show in one of the lush, green-filled atriums of the newly-renovated iconic Mayfair House Hotel & Garden in Coconut Grove. Not so coincidentally, the neighborhood’s eclectic bohemian spirit served as inspiration for the season—and it also happens to be where Tcherassi opened her first shop 25 years ago. The collection was comprised of elegant liquid silk dresses and separates in abstract prints and vibrant colors, along with embroidered cotton pieces. The highlight, though, was undoubtedly the 11 demi-couture gowns that appeared on the runway for the first time.

Previously, these more intricate, labor-intensive pieces have always been reserved for private clients and are made in exclusively in Tcherassi’s Coral Gables atelier, which she opened in 2001 inside a building designed by Morris Lapidus, one of the pioneers of Miami Modernist movement. Her team is comprised of talents from all over Latin America: Cuba, Honduras, Colombia, and Honduras, among others. Even though atelier pieces can take upwards of 100 hours to produce, Tcherassi stressed the importance of showing them during the annual international art fair. “The designs we create together are truly art,” she says. “Each piece can touch as many as 15 hands other than mine, each with their own specialty, from intricate lace work to pattern making. We want to celebrate our craft and show the world our slice of Miami design, year-round.” Here, Tcherassi gives us an exclusive look into the making of her new collection.