Before launching his namesake collection, Antonio Azzuolo spent years at temples of luxury tailoring: Ralph Lauren's Black and Purple Labels on the one hand, Hermès and Kenzo on the other. He also happens to be the son of a tailor, so it's no surprise that Azzuolo knows how to cut an excellent jacket. He's wisely made it his signature. This season's iteration comes in navy or brilliant red, with a light pagoda shoulder, a double-breast, and collar or lapels trimmed in Persian lamb. Azzuolo's craft is worth every penny, and it costs more than a few. No wonder he's big in Japan, where such things are prized.
There are strengths and weaknesses among the rest of his offerings. This season, he drew inspiration from the Séeberger brothers, the early street-style photographers who shot Deauville and other French resort towns in the 1930's. That accounts for a bit of the luxe, louche chic (and maybe also the free hand with white fox). Wild bursts of color, as on the trompe l'oeil knits, on the other hand, are a more contemporary touch.
Azzuolo is fond of elegance and glamour, but there are times when he shades into the precious. Jackets cut from bouclé and Linton tweed—a fabric prized by Coco Chanel—felt like a bit too much. But sportier pieces, like the technical-wool anoraks the designer calls popovers, helped to ground some of the flightier flights of fancy.
