MISA Los Angeles Dresses: The Prints I Would Wear

I will admit I usually walk past printed dresses, and MISA is the label that made me stop. Shadi Askari-Farhat first built a handbag business from vintage fabrics and trims, then grew that idea into ready-to-wear and launched MISA for Spring 2016 as its own label. The name joins her daughters, Milla and Sayeh, which is a small detail that tells you how personal the whole thing is. I went deeper on a related idea in Beaded Dresses And Real Wear. I went deeper on a related idea in Cala de la Cruz: Colombian Resortwear, Dresses and Prints.

Her Los Angeles roots and her love of travel, art and design show up in fluid shapes, airy fabrics and prints that know what they are doing. The pieces are made in Los Angeles by an in-house team of designers, pattern-makers and sewists, and some garments take more than 50 steps. That is a good reminder that a printed dress is not only about the print.

MISA opened its first store at Palisades Village in 2021. The printed dresses still make the clearest statement, while the tops and separates are the easier way into the same print language.

Here the print does the opening work. The Mitra Dress in Reflective Chintz and Maxine Dress in Large Flora lean into graphic pattern, while the Inez Mini Dress in Fire Petal and Mika Mini Dress in Oasis Patchwork make color the main event. The Dounia Dress, Shyra Dress in Azure Flora and Silva Dress in Full Bloom bring the garden forward, and the Lacey Maxi Dress and Kristen Maxi Dress go longer.

In my fashion dreams, she is headed to a late lunch by the water in the Jansen Mini Dress, letting its blue Aegean geometry do the talking. My rule with a busy print is to give it room: one piece carries the outfit, then quiet shoes and a simple bag. For an event, I would check the length and shape first, then let the print set the mood.

Print gives these tops the strongest point of view. The Quinn Top in Halcyon Fresco, Cora Top and Anais Top in Full Bloom let pattern set the tone, while the Yassi Top in Polka Dot keeps it more graphic. The Halo Top adds a saturated option, and the Kira Vest and Terri Top change the proportions.

Picture her in the Cora Top with straight dark trousers for dinner, then again with a relaxed skirt on a bright Saturday. I would let one patterned piece work and pair it with a solid bottom, which keeps the print clear instead of busy. For a quieter day, I would start with the Kira Vest in dark brown and build around it.

These separates make the print easier to mix with things already hanging in my closet. The Ocean Midi Skirt, Mana Skirt and Jada Skirt in Autumn Chintz all carry the label's pattern story, and the Lemor Pant in Full Bloom takes it to trousers.

Picture her walking to a weekend market in the Ocean Midi Skirt with a clean white tank and flat sandals, so the skirt keeps the attention. These are the ones I would reach for when a full printed dress feels like more commitment than I want that day. A small tip: repeat one tone from the print in your top or shoes and the whole thing settles.

The full MISA range goes well beyond the dresses and tops already in this edit, and that is where it gets interesting for me. The Janice Dress, Sigrid Dress, Maud Dress, Electra Dress, Anara Dress, Sandy Dress, Martha Dress and Fiore Dress are one-piece answers to the question of what to wear, each one replacing a whole outfit decision.

For two-piece days, I would look at the Rama Top, Theda Top, Nell Top, Kassi Top, Enid Top, Celine Top and Kaye Top, then balance them with the Calli Pant or Ren Pant, or the Orlie Skirt, Lenore Skirt and Agyness Skirt. The Hester Jacket is the extra layer that gives an outfit a more finished outline. I like that the label makes room for separates, since the same top does a different job with trousers than with a skirt.

The easiest way to start is to choose the day first: a dress when I want no outfit changes, or the Kaye Top and Calli Pant when I want to build. What I would skip is a second busy focal piece at a crowded event. Let the dress or top lead and keep everything else quiet.

MISA makes sense to me when I let one idea lead the outfit, usually a print with enough personality to carry a simple shape. The local handwork and the founder's love of art and travel give those prints some context, so they never ask to be saved for a special occasion. What I would skip is stacking several loud patterns, unless pattern mixing is already how you dress. Start with the one piece you would happily wear on an ordinary Tuesday, then let the occasion find it.