Luisa Beccaria may have actually married a real prince, but she doesn’t spend her days wandering about in a turreted castle—quite the contrary. She has built a solid family-run company and managed to remain independent. With five grown children, a vast Sicilian estate to look after, and a globe-trotting VIP life, her plate is full. Judging from her lifestyle, one could imagine her moving about in flats and a tailored power suit. But no. She always looks as if right out of a Visconti movie; she even runs errands swathed in pale chiffons and powder blue florals.
Beccaria and her daughters live the life for which their clothes are designed. The romantic pale blue Vichy cotton sundresses embroidered with crocheted entredeux for Resort would be picture-perfect for a chic getaway in Capri, Forte dei Marmi, or Patmos, which are the family’s favorite holiday destinations. Likewise, an ethereal wraparound chiffon number, printed with a triumph of azure blooms, seems made to be worn by one of her young customers to a party or a wedding reception; Beccaria’s daughter Lucilla would pair it with tennis shoes, taking the drama down a notch and giving it modern allure.
Although the collection had a Cecil Beaton–photograph feel, with plenty of cloud-like mille-feuille ensembles and tea dresses in delicately embroidered linen, it also highlighted Beccaria’s pragmatic side; the daywear offering encompassed easily wearable striped cotton apron sundresses, pajama suits and jumpsuits in crisp Vichy poplin, and circle skirts and marinière shirts in broderie anglaise.
Yet there’s always a couture-like flair to the designer’s approach; her Milanese atelier provides fabulous made-to-measure evening gowns and wedding dresses to an elite clientele. Her credentials were proved when the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris admitted her to show in the City of Light from 1990 until 1995. Now that bespoke and unique pieces are more and more sought after by a discerning international audience, she is definitely in the right place. Why not go back to Paris for a couture presentation? “Never say never,” said Beccaria. “It would be a dream.”
