The pandemic forced Alessandra Rich to spend four months in London during the lockdown. Luckily, she was able to show her spring collection in her own showroom in Milan, though, it's still a far cry from the luxe of the Parisian flat and the decadence of Lapérouse, where she has received her clients in recent fashion weeks. But being a resourceful Italian, she took it in her stride. She delivered the collection on time, and it was as meticulously crafted and glamorous as ever.
As a testament to her optimism, she titled the collection Euphoria. In these circumstances, it’s obviously more wishful thinking than the actual reality of what we’re going through. “I know, I know,” she conceded. “But while I was designing the collection during the confinement, I was thinking about joy, about the joy of dressing up again, the desire to go out feeling beautiful in a beautiful dress.”
There were plenty of seductive numbers to spark joy in the women who like her style, women she describes as having an intense social life. “They party; they have to attend weddings and dinners and receptions,” she said. Yes—but when? Social calendars aren’t exactly crowded with obligations these days. When life resumes, Rich’s clients will be dressed to the nines, ready at the starting blocks.
Even without a long list of parties to attend, it’s difficult not to be seduced by Rich’s exquisite vintage-y floral dresses and the candy-hued, glitzy pantsuits with matching brassieres she concocted with such unabashed conviction. To add the final touch to her seductive arsenal, she launched a new line of languid lingerie—floral negligees, sweet little bikinis, and see-through cover-ups that can double as beachwear. They looked euphoria-inducing enough.
