Lela Rose is more likely than not the only designer in modern history to name the following as her inspiration for a fashion collection: Fred Harvey, a Gilded Age restaurateur who opened restaurants along and within the train cars of the Santa Fe Railroad. It wasn’t Harvey’s style, but rather, the lifestyle he created that got her thinking—passengers on the railroad would treat dinner at his establishments as a chance to get dressed up in finer clothes.

Combined with the fact that Rose herself now spends much of her time in Jackson, Wyoming, she felt inspired by formal wear with a western flair for fall 2025. A jacket is accented with fringed pockets and gowns come with saloon-style bustiers. The color palette—faded, moody, jewel tones—gives off an aesthetic of cowboy noir. Indeed, the lookbook itself is shot with a filter that feels almost like a daguerreotype. “The Fred Harvey era is very much about corsetry and draping,” she said of his influence.

That’s not to say Rose forgets about the east. Much of her clientele is based in New York City, attending lunches by day and galas by night. So fittingly, she also looked back at the designs of the legendary formalwear designer Charles James, especially when creating an evening dress with crystal embellishments. A white gown with a black off-the-shoulder neckline, meanwhile, would have looked right at home in the Plaza ballroom during Truman Capote’s black-and-white-ball.

At first look, Fred Harvey and Charles James might not have much in common. But to Rose, here’s the common thread: they both existed, and helped define, eras that appreciated the art of dressing up. “I’ve always loved dressing for occasions,” she said.