Emanuel Ungaro had not been at the helm of his fashion house for some 15 years, but following his death at the end of December came a swell of archive photos and personal anecdotes that secured his legacy as a couturier who was audacious in vision and benevolent in spirit.
Given all the creative misfires that have transpired since 2005, it’s not unreasonable to wonder why the brand continues to exist. Yet to the extent that those who oversee the executive and creative direction no longer aim for Monsieur Ungaro’s mastery, one supposes they carry on because there is value in a name that will forever signal beauty and femininity.
In the absence of a lead designer, the collections have more or less dropped off the radar. But that’s not to say they are worth writing off. More and more, knitwear has become the label’s primary focus, and with expert knit technicians divided between studios in Paris and Milan, the collections have found a niche. With florals and polka dots as mainstay motifs, the newness came from textural and dimensional elements—flower outlines like watermarks within a jacquard or a single bloom bursting from a shoulder. Patchwork prints in satin offered pleasing fluidity in lieu of body-contoured silhouettes and reappeared as the vibrant lining of faux fur coats in a saturated teal tone. Going-out options were plenty, including several midnight blue sequin numbers and an LBD with a neckline of silver beading that was comparably restrained.
Cindy Bruna, the knockout model that she is, dials up the sexiness of the collection here; when in fact, many of the designs are more akin to power suit alternatives (and certainly easier to pack). While Emanuel Ungaro is not the only Paris maison proposing sophisticated knitwear, and while this isn’t really where the rest of fashion is at right now, there will always be women who appreciate the resolutely feminine image that these dresses project.
