The fantasy dial is always set high at Alice + Olivia, and this season Stacey Bendet turned it all the way up. The theme was "Alice in Wonderland," and she said she now sits and plays with the embroidery herself using AI, which turns what used to be weeks of back and forth with her design team into a simple "I want this."

I love that she is this openly delighted by a new tool. You can see the fun of it in the clothes, and I think the enthusiasm is the best thing about the collection.

Her declaration was that this is "the season of the dress," and I am happy to take her at her word. Floral showed up in more than a third of the looks, so the dresses are where we start.

Bendet did not abandon the rest of the closet. She showed a few lacy separates, plus button-up and blazer combinations, and white tank tops that were bedazzled and tied with ribbons. She said they were "back to the early 2000s," and honestly, I was a little thrilled.

Bows turned up in about a quarter of the looks, and that little bit of ribbon is what makes the tops feel like part of the same story. It is the kind of detail that lets a cozy knit join the party instead of sitting out the fantasy.

I keep thinking about how a soft cardigan or a pullover with some sparkle on it could take the Wonderland idea and make it something you wear on an ordinary Tuesday. Lace was in about one in five looks, so a touch of it on top feels right to me.

The most memorable prints were the ones that grew. A maximalist, multicolored, ultra-embellished garden scene covered a trio of looks: a ball gown, an opera coat, and a scarf top worn with a midiskirt. I find the midiskirt the most wearable piece of that trio, because it lets you take on all that color from the waist down.

Gilded floral motifs detailed two regal dresses as well, and one of them had a train that cascaded down the steps. It was worn by Bendet's fifteen year old daughter, and that moment of girlhood turning into womanhood is exactly the kind of thing that makes fantasy feel personal.

So for me, a skirt is the easiest way into this collection. Pair it with something plain and let the embellishment do the talking.

What I keep coming back to is how sure Bendet is about her own taste. The presentation in her Park Avenue space was bustling, and a giant high-heeled sculpture announced that she is relaunching footwear, with colorful pumps, slingbacks, platforms, and ballet flats on the way.

A handful of looks had feathers or went strapless, and those small moments kept the show from feeling like a costume party. They felt like a designer who enjoys making things.

I would wear the garden print, and I would wear a ribboned tank top with it. There are plenty of people for whom Bendet's idea of fantasy resonates, and I am happy to be one of them.