After last season's debut chez Armani Teatro—a sort of imprimatur—Angelos Bratis wisely decided not to stage another show. His touch, after all, is way too subtle and his dresses way too complex and deceptively elementary to resist being visually swallowed by a stroll on the catwalk. Instead, Bratis opted for a cozy presentation inside the apartment of a well-known, well-to-do bon vivant.
The context served its purpose: Bratis' creations fully revealed their magic when exposed among vintage prints, tons of books, and refined furniture. The clothes, made in wool and silk, constructed with a single seam, were as virtuoso as it can get, flowing and coiling around the body with natural ease. Bratis makes dresses and he only showed dresses, in a moody and precious color palette of dense autumnal colors. Leather accessories developed in collaboration with Justin Capp—harness-like halters and waistbands cut in a single sheet of leather—added a slight frisson of fetish, which created a nice off-balance tingle. The collection felt mature and accomplished.
Bratis is a dressmaker, not an image-maker, which is quite an interesting position to occupy in contemporary fashion. Unfortunately, it showed in his lookbook images this season: Oozing brash '70s sass, they undermine the sensual delicacy and effortless elegance of the pieces, which is a pity.
