Art and fashion is a marriage made in heaven—or in hell. The two mediums clearly love each other, but sometimes the romance just doesn’t gel. The metaphor can easily apply to collections referencing art, which has become the ultimate commodity in the fashionsphere these days. In quite a few cases, the attempt looks utterly preposterous—just another marketing tool, or an effort to make fashion more substantive. This was not the case for Aquilano.Rimondi’s Pre-Fall collection, where Sonia Delaunay and her cubist aesthetic were used as inspiration. Delaunay seemed a fitting influence that worked well with the duo’s signature vision of rigorous, geometric style, enhanced here by a palette of vibrant primary colors.
Impeccable tailoring has always been at the core of Aquilano.Rimondi’s aesthetic. They're both well-trained tailors, fluent in the language of technical finesse. Their skills were in full display in a lineup of controlled, razor-sharp silhouettes, cut with surgical precision and based on a streamlined interpretation of masculine elements. It was given substance by the use of thick, luxurious fabrics (almost all of them were exclusive) and a virtuoso play on volumes and shapes. Micro jacquards, 3-D wools, macro chevrons and herringbone tweeds, double or felted cashmeres and angoras, silk-wool bouclés, techno-silk organzas; it looked as if they had robbed an Ali Baba cave of textile treasures. Outerwear was obviously the collection’s forte; mannish structured coats had aplomb, the slightly low lapels and decorative plastic ribbons adding a modern vibe. Sporty downs looked chic, their technical structure veiled by a layer of silk organza. It all had a “back to the roots” feel; when they’re good, they’re good.
