Maxime Simoëns is in his third season as Azzaro’s creative director; the French couture house was founded at the end of the ’70s, so for the show’s inspiration he went the easy route. “It was the same time of the Studio 54 beginnings in New York,” he explained. “I wanted to celebrate a common ground: Grace Jones, Bianca Jagger, Cher . . . party spirit and fun! Fashion has to be cheerful, non?” Indeed. Studio 54’s cheerfulness has been mined extensively by generations of fashion designers. Simoëns jumped onto the bandwagon, adding his French-flavored interpretation to the disco nostalgics.
The end of the ’70s/beginning of the ’80s repertoire was rolled out in a rather by-the-book version: sleek pantsuits with bell-bottom pants drenched in sequins, airy chiffon minidresses weighed down by undulating fringes, sensual pajama ensembles with palazzo pants and square-cut blouses covered in technicolor paillettes. It was glitzy, ritzy, and sparkly, a feast of Swarovski crystals lavishly affixed to every possible surface.
Silhouettes were comme il faut body-con, a touch of French panache adding a twist of sexy insouciance. Long legs were ready to shimmy, exposed by ultra-short bustier minidresses where bows sprouted playfully. Elsewhere a slender see-through number was embroidered with sequins and fringed with feathers. It looked young and spectacular, tinged with disco glamour and effortless charm.
