Antonio Berardi is about to marry off a sister, so it's not too surprising that bridalwear was on his mind for Resort. "Nostalgic, but incredibly modern," is the way he described the collection at a showroom appointment. To be sure, these weren't the sort of pieces that demanded a veil. Instead, Berardi extracted traditional elements from wedding gowns—lace, covered buttons, taffeta—and transported them into his world.
For instance, a nylon-and-silk taffeta was fashioned into a fitted dress with a double-layer back and drawstring sleeves, the outer layer molded into a bubble shape that sat away from the body. "I wanted to experiment with shape so that the body could move on the inside," he said. A macramé lace was blown up and decorated everything from the back of an opera coat to the edges of a blouse, as well as a gown backed by a lovely raw silk that was slightly more opaque than organza. Covered buttons were used to frame the front of a cream bugle-beaded gown. (They were pretty but also practical, serving as a way to attach a matching cape.)
There was something doll-like about the expansive collection, which also included studded brocade frocks and high-low sweaterdresses paired with pleated paper wool miniskirts. But Berardi worked in enough sporty elements—even a T-shirt dress, a new concept for the quite formal designer—to keep the modern and the nostalgic in balance. Just as he had set out to do.
