“I knew it was my dream since the beginning,” said Francesco Scognamiglio of his invitation from the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to be a guest member this season. That beginning, said Scognamiglio, was around the time he was 19 and working as a tailor in his hometown of Naples. And here he was in a sumptuous hôtel particulier showing off sensuous, body skimming gowns crafted from gold thread hand-embroidered to resemble lace, feathers sculpted into dimensional scrollwork, and linings completely adorned in Swarovski crystals. Talk about a career high.
Scognamilio opened his show with an embellished PVC coat topped with black mink, its clear shell revealing legwear that glistened with crystals. “Strong, romantic, erotic” was how he described the look, adding “it’s my identity 100 percent.” Other identities came to mind with some of the strategically sheer looks, yet these intricate creations also spoke strongly to a new generation of clients who put the rock into rococo. Scognamiglio singled out the solid black dress with a layer of embroidery unfurling at the bodice as his favorite and it’s easy to see why—it maximized the glamour with little revealed. The pleated ruffles revealed less still, but the upward fanning was more worthy of a classical portrait than real life. The ample coat covered in embroidered flowers inspired by an 18th century painting of a garden in Posillipo near where Scognamiglio grew up deserves special mention; it felt true to both French and Italian high fashion (it was also beautifully finished on the inside).
All of this was especially impressive given that Scognamiglio said he had just three months to realize this collection. The women next to this reporter remarked, not necessarily by way of criticism, that the 19 looks didn’t number nearly half as many as what’s usually shown at Chanel. But of course, quality is the more important measure. And it was there.