New York Fashion Week: Altuzarra’s fearless females
Reading in the show notes that the inspiration for the Joseph Altuzarra spring collection was not only the 1968 horror film “Rosemary’s Baby,” but also the 1975 period piece “Barry Lyndon” was a lot to chew on.
But it turned out, what the designer was interested in was more of a feeling -- a sinister prettiness (love that phrase) -- which infused his spring romance with enough sauciness to suit front row guest diva Rihanna, and other fearless female fans of the sophisticated label.
The inspiration: The 1968 film “Rosemary’s Baby” (costume designer Anthea Sylbert) and the 1975 film “Barry Lyndon” (costume designer Milena Canonero).
The look: Liberated.
Key pieces: Altuzarra opened with gingham suiting in his signature body skimming silhouettes, pencil skirts sliced thigh high and sheaths sliced open and tied together with ribbons.
The second group involved similarly tailored skirts and dresses in curve-tracing stripes, inspired by Moroccan Berber textiles. Leather latticework vests, worn over banker stripe shirts and black riding pants, echoed the grid of the ginghams, but in a tougher vein.
Then, Altuzarra moved into even more risqué territory with pearl encrusted bra tops, black chiffon slip dresses and dresses that seemed tailor made for the concert stage.
He finished with a series of pearl encrusted gowns in lush gilded textiles evocative of the 18th century, but without the constraint of heavy construction or under layers.
The verdict: With his collection for Target set to hit stores Sept. 14, Altuzarra is hitting the big time. And this collection was a celebration of the breadth of his talent, from his signature silhouette (not many young designers can say they have that), to his artistry with small details, such as the seed pearls swirling around the gilded finale gown.
But even for all the drama, he didn’t lose the plot. Two of the best pieces to come down the runway were also the simplest -- a black-and-white striped crepe de chine shirt dress and a cognac suede shirt dress that will forever be classics, just like the films he started with.
