Creative director Sally LaPointe tells PEOPLE that it was the “most amazing experience” working with Winfrey

Who runs the world?

If you ask LaPointe, strong women do, which is why creative director Sally LaPointe tapped Oprah Winfrey to model the label’s spring 2025 collection, which dropped on Sept. 12.

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“For me, Oprah epitomizes the LaPointe woman in every way,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “She is the definition of an empowered female who dresses for herself and no one else. I wanted to let her shine through and be the star of my collection.”

Sally decided to forgo a runway show for New York Fashion Week, instead dropping her new collection the day after Fashion Week ended. Called “The Muse” and inspired by her muse Winfrey, the collection was an “Oprah or nothing” situation, she wrote in a press release.

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“I view Oprah as my North Star,” she also wrote. She and her brand have worked with the media personality and philanthropist for years and she recalls to PEOPLE a conversation she had with her that really resonated with her as an entrepreneur.

“I originally met Oprah a few years ago when I went to her home in California to do a fitting for a custom suit she planned to wear to host the Adele’s ‘One Night Only’ concert,” she shares. “After the fitting we sat down on her terrace, and she asked me how I got my start. I explained to her that being a self-taught female entrepreneur in an incredibly competitive industry had its challenges but that somehow 10 years later I was still going. I’ll never forget her response, she simply said. ‘So the power of never giving up.’ That really stuck with me because that’s what LaPointe is all about, a feeling of empowerment that allows you to be your true self.”

 

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Winfrey models bold, fun pieces in this new collection, which is described in the press release as being for a woman who “needs no introduction.” Sort of like Winfrey herself. You’ll find printed organza, new denim washes and ombré feathers among the pieces, as well as plenty of wearable sequins — what LaPointe customers know and love.

“This collection was about taking core pieces that really speak to my brand’s DNA and reinventing them in a more elevated way,” the creative director tells PEOPLE. “One of my favorite pieces is a new take on our classic blazer — I combined a tailored blazer upper with a long floor-length sheer chiffon lower to create a new statement silhouette that is easy for Spring/Summer time.”

 

Winfrey models it all with confidence and pizzazz, and Sally tells PEOPLE that the photo shoot was “perfection,” adding that it was “the most amazing experience.”

The Emmy winner had just as much praise for the designer, saying in a press release. “The main reason I said yes was because of how warm and open Sally was when I first met her. She is a woman in power, empowering other women through her work, her artistry and her clothes — and I wanted to support that.”

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