Luisa Beccaria’s signature ethereal style doesn’t seem fit for chilly winters. There’s no wandering about Gstaad swathed in pale chiffons, not even if you’re a débutante ready to die of hypothermia for fashion. Yet her young customers lead active, dynamic lives. In winter they don’t hibernate; they need warm, comforting clothes like the rest of us. So for Pre-Fall, Beccaria worked on an expanded offering of cozy daywear and outerwear, without straying too far from the dreamy mood she favors.
Chic little coats in blue checkered tweed were cut trapeze-shaped and slightly retro, paired with matching ankle-grazing skirts and floral-printed organza blouses for a touch of whimsy. A pink tweed city coat with a stitched satin collar and pockets was reminiscent of the tiny fitted coats little girls usually wear as winter uniforms in private schools. The cozy feel of an elongated waistcoat in knitted mohair topped a feminine ensemble in which a bohemian blouse in floral chiffon was styled with a long, high-waisted velvet skirt, embroidered with lacy motifs.
Although her daywear married romance with practicality, as always with Beccaria occasion dresses were the collection’s stronger point. Luscious velvet was the fabric of choice for Victorian-inspired turquoise wrap dresses and for richly cut-out-embroidered numbers fit for a Chekhov heroine. In the same vein, deep blue wool broderie anglaise was cut into chic peasant tiered dresses with poet sleeves and velvet trims. Worn under fuzzy coats, they could indeed brave a chilly snowstorm.
