Joyce Azria

“I feel like my whole life has been in preparation for this,” says Joyce Azria of her role as BCBGeneration’s creative director. And, in a way, it has. As the daughter of BCBG founder Max Azria, the Paris-born, Los Angeles-raised Azria was born into a fashion empire—a fact she says is both a blessing and a curse. At the age of 10 she was already advising daddy on fabric choices, marketing moves, and even putting in her two cents about BCBG’s first Rodeo Drive boutique. “I remember my father asked me what I thought of the location,” she says. “I had the biggest mouth and I said, ‘I really think the Wilshire window is going to get us a lot of PR.’ ” By the time she was 21, she had already served as the design director for BCBGMAXAZRIA Swim and launched her own high-end womenswear line, JOYANN. Launched in 2008, BCBGeneration was created to cater to style-conscious young women who are just beginning to discover themselves through clothing—a sentiment that Azria, now 28, relates to deeply. As part of that mission, Azria tried to repair what she thought was a common impulse in fashion to knock women, by presenting clothes that inspired and flattered them. This fall marks her third collection for the brand, and it demonstrates a distinct evolution, featuring an army of whites, neutrals, and pops of color. “I was feeling a little more moody and I wanted the collection to be more grounded,” she says. “It’s so wonderful because I never really had my own place at BCBG—I never had a home within my home. When they launched Generation I just thought, This is for me.”

Photos: (left) Joyce Azria in New York, July 2010. Dress: BCBGeneration. Earrings, Necklace, and Cuff (left arm): Lynn Ban. Cuff (right arm): Céline. Cosmetics: Maybelline, including Eye Studio Creamy Gel Eyeliner. Styling: Karen Kaiser. Hair: Andre Gunn/The Wall Group. Makeup: Mizu/Susan Price, Inc. Special Thanks: Thompson LES. (right photo) Dress: BCBGeneration. Earrings, Necklace, and Cuff (left arm): Lynn Ban. Cuff (right arm): Céline. Shoes: Rochas. Cosmetics: Maybelline, including Eye Studio Creamy Gel Eyeliner. Styling: Karen Kaiser. Hair: Andre Gunn/The Wall Group. Makeup: Mizu/Susan Price, Inc. Special Thanks: Thompson LES.