Last July, when they launched their label, Atto's Julien Dossena and Lion Blau demonstrated a light touch with unlikely combinations. It attracted the attention of some important retailers and likely helped Dossena land a creative director gig at Paco Rabanne. Atto's sexy sequined turtlenecks (whoever heard of a sexy turtleneck?) became hot sellers when the collection landed in stores a month or so ago. Their second offering—the designers have opted to show only twice a year, off-runway during the pre-seasons—is slightly bigger than the first, and filled with new ideas about juxtaposing odd elements. Hard and soft came together on crepe de chine slipdresses bisected with leather panels and on menswear-style trousers cut from a fleecy polyester. Elsewhere, an A-line skirt was spliced with a panel of pleats made from an unexpected technical fabric, while a double-breasted coat and jacket, as haute Parisian as it gets, were cinched with oversize obi belts, West-meets-East style.
Ultimately, though, this collection's pleasures were of the simple sort: Graphic black-and-white color-blocked sweaters in downy angora felt even better than they looked. And a clingy turtleneck dress was printed with the brand's logo, only so big it was completely abstract. In its own way, it was just as attention grabbing as last season's sequins.
