A few stunning Hans Feurer pictures from an ’80s editorial grabbed the attention on Simon Holloway’s Agnona moodboard. The Swiss lensman is one of the masters of modern fashion photography; among his many achievements, the advertising campaign he shot for Kenzo in 1983 helped put the Somalian model (and later, David Bowie’s wife) Iman on the map. But it’s his luminous backlighting; a sense of freedom; and the ease and energy expressed by models captured outdoors and in urban landscapes that will be his true visual legacies. Holloway found Feurer’s dynamic images resonant with the attitude of his Pre-Fall collection.
Agnona is all about luxurious pieces for every day, exquisitely crafted in the finest fabrics. “The design studio is based here in Milan,” explained Holloway. “So I keep thinking of that fictional Milanese woman; she likes discreet, luxurious dressing, and favors touches of eccentricity, like a beautiful fedora in beaver or arctic hare, possibly sculpted by a traditional milliner known for generations.” To make his point, the designer singled out a double-faced cashmere wrap in an inconspicuous shade of oatmeal, nonchalantly worn over a buttery-soft leather midi skirt and a tweed cashmere sweater. It looked chic and modern, and molto Milanese indeed.
Holloway worked around the idea of fusing outerwear with tailored coating; puffa jackets and parkas had a luxe finish typical of traditional coats’ construction, while rigorous tailoring was given a sporty, outdoorsy, relaxed vibe. This blending of techniques gave the collection an interesting rhythm, injecting modernity into classic shapes, spicing up practicality with a dash of polish. To amp up the feel of sophisticated ease, there was no shortage of heavenly textures: wool cashmere flannels and jerseys, brushed alpaca tweeds, cashmere-touch cottons. An abundance of supple capes and scarf-coats added to the sensuous feel, yet they were cut with confident precision, blurring the lines between knitwear and tailoring with finesse.
