Albino Teodoro is one of the many independent designers who are increasingly filling the ranks of Milanese fashion. Choosing to go at it alone is difficult on many levels, but it gives designers freedom of expression and the possibility to carve out their own creative vision. For Teodoro, this choice has proven successful so far; his clientele and his business are expanding in a sustainable, organic way.
For Spring, he worked on a compact collection which had a less sculptural feel than usual. He traded the architectural, rigorous approach he favors for more sensual, languid silhouettes. Inspired by East Asian art and neoclassical curlicued stuccoed decorations, he had them reproduced on large foulards in light cottons and silks, cut into roomy caftans with exquisite pleated details, or into beautifully elaborated draped column dresses, slightly disheveled and undone.
The designer is never literal in his references; the sense of exotic sensuality infused in layered, ruffled long dresses in see-through chiffon was counterbalanced by sharp, ’90s-inspired tailoring. A fine example was a black tuxedo, its billowy sleeves and see-through back made of sheer black organza; it seamlessly blended rigorous cut and feminine lightness.
