Francesco Scognamiglio skipped the couture runway in Paris this season, opting for an intimate presentation in his Milanese atelier. He was in a reflective mood. “I wanted to concentrate more on couture’s real values: the personal relationship with my clients, who need privacy and attention; the unique creativity that goes into every outfit. Couture must remain the undiluted peak of craftsmanship,” he mused. After a Parisian Couture Week that proved to be the most democratic to date, throwing its arms wide open to the whole fashion spectrum, from New York labels to high jewelry presentations, Scognamiglio’s attitude felt positively Old World. The designer presented a tightly edited lineup, conveying his high-end message through a fashion shoot in which Italian photographer Giampaolo Sgura lensed statuesque model Hilary Rhoda, her classical beauty complementary to Scognamiglio’s theatrical baroque style.
“Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the Garden of Eden,” said the designer, alluding to his desire to escape the increasingly chaotic fashion system and the often unforgiving pressures it puts on designers. He appointed a painter friend to come up with an exclusive print of a magical tropical jungle, with happy parakeets swirling about and humongous carnal liliums blossoming in hallucinogenic colors. The tropical print graced sinuous knee-length dresses in silk satin or silk charmeuse worn with matching trousers, where the opulence factor was raised with lavish crystal embroideries and appliqués, a leitmotif. A long column dress in net tulle was cut like a simple fitted tunic, yet it was entirely studded with rhinestones and encrusted with floral arabesques; you could light an entire room wearing it. Grand opera coats in padded silk with huge fox collars were quilted with floral motifs, embroidered with intricate embellishments, or trimmed with organza in contrasting colors. Their luxe was extreme, but they were also cocoon-like.
“Couture clients are discreet; they don’t crave publicity,” said Scognamiglio. The designer adores weddings; he actually started his career as a wedding couturier in his atelier in Pompeii in 1998. Obliging couture tradition, for the collection’s finale he concocted a pair of long white dresses. They were a triumph of crystals and exquisite silk lace intarsias, copiously appliquéd on sheer, sexy mousseline that revealed just so. Couture clients may indeed be discreet, but only to a certain extent.
