The new Wraith is couture on wheels

There was a very specific vocabulary set at the launch of the new Rolls-Royce Wraith Inspired by Fashion last week.

Words like luxury, couture, silk, soft, style and bespoke were echoed time and time again as the small gathering of press people and fashion connoisseurs all took turns jumping in and out of the new, with glasses of champagne in their hands.

The new Wraith Inspired by Fashion has an overabundance of Roll-Royce iconography scattered all over its interior and exterior, but feels and looks very different from the earlier Wraith Inspired by Film which was launched earlier this year.

If anything, the two cars stand at opposite ends of the Wraith spectrum. The new Wraith Inspired by Fashion comes with a less obvious two-tone exterior (Andalucian white and Arctic white), but that’s complimented by the jasmine accent stripe that stretches from either side of the hood from the grill to the window.

Michelle Lusby, Rolls-Royce designer, said the softer materials and the use of silk and silk-like materials in the interior gave the car an overall more welcoming feel than its Film counterpart.

As is the tradition with Rolls-Royce, the emphasis is on bespoke, and the “Inspiration” series is meant to serve as inspiration for buyers who might want to add more personal touches. Rolls-Royce North America President Erich Shepherd told the press at the event that while 95% of the all Wraith cars last year left with some sort of bespoke design, most of the Inspired by Film buyers have so far taken their cars without bespoke customizations.

There is still one more “Inspiration” model to come, although that will be later in the year.