While delving into the archives, Agnona’s creative director, Simon Holloway, happened to find an advertorial from the ’70s shot on location in the Sonamarg valley in the Indian Kashmir region. Against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains, two blonde models swathed in sumptuous layers of the label’s albino cashmere were playing shepherdesses to a herd of Himalayan goats. “It looked like one of the extravagant Vogue spreads that Diana Vreeland used to style,” crooned the designer, who was obviously thrilled by such a glamorous find.
Holloway’s aesthetic has a restrained flair, which seems to suit Agnona’s core values. He infused the new collection with a plush yet contemporary feel, touched by a whiff of ’70s cool. It was translated into elongated lines, played around a layered silhouette, whose sophistication was enhanced by delicate cosmetic shades. Noble fibers were firmly at the heart of the design process; cashmere had the lion’s share, as well as precious camel hair and fluffy, feather-like alpaca. They felt so heavenly soft, you just wanted to wrap yourself in one of the many impossibly chic capes, coats, and sweaters on display, as if in a snug cocoon, and forget about the world.
In keeping with the collection’s modern, urban vibe, ’70s-inspired elements were given a luxuriously utilitarian attitude, as in a lean taupe city coat in double cashmere zippered like a biker jacket. Capes were thrown with nonchalance over cropped pants or light crepe skirts, topped with ribbed cashmere sweaters for a layered, softly architectural look. For a touch of modernist bohemia, spiced up a bit with a sense of humor, a crepe de Chine dress with poet sleeves was printed with little alpacas, goats, camels, and vicuñas happily roaming as if in a Himalayan valley; they would have certainly inspired Vreeland for one of her flamboyant, witty editorials.
