For fall/winter 2013, Joseph Altuzarra bravely discarded the prints and embellishments that have been oh-so pretty and present in his past collections. What were often the most memorable and what made me love his pieces so much (due to my never-ending love of prints), I wasn’t sure what i’d make of this drastic departure however, I fell quite in love with it!
An “exploration of street”, the clothes were slick and city-ready from the very first fitted pant suit and leather bolero with exaggerated shoulder (an emerging silhouette that is proving ever so popular in New York, first seen in the form of Karl’s framed shoulders not too long ago in Paris for couture week).
“If you take away print and embroidery, you have to challenge yourself a bit more on the cut”, as Altuzarra described. Well, he easily overcame that challenge! Moving away from the comfort of prints demanded a sharper attention to tailoring, cut, and fit – which was prominently displayed in the coat-dresses with nipped in waists and double-breasted power suits (did you love the big buttons like i did?! there’s proof is in the detail, people!) — pure talent in elaborate construction.
The prints were replaced with straight lines, corseted leather and vinyl fabrics (which Altuzarra preferred because of its waterproof nature, proving it to age better than leather). Not to mention the restrained yet somewhat fresh colour palette (black, white, caramel, and a hint of forest green). The pieces evoked a discernible essence of reality, yet managed to keep some of that dreamy fantastical nature and trip-around-the-world feel of his past collections.
Actually, those over-scaled fox-fur mittens tapped into that past whimsical nature (maybe a bit too much for my liking) but would undoubtedly keep you warm amidst the raw chills of winter.
The sexiness of the clothes was also unquestionable, seen in use of the luxe monochromes and leather (what’s not sexy about leather?), defined waists and zippy-skirts. Altuzarra himself stated that “every collection plays with the idea of sexy and sensuality, but in this one the sexiness was very overt”.
“The fiercest, sexiest and most wearable clothes in New York”? Tim Blanks, you took the words right outta my mouth.
FASHIONEEKA. 