Gabriele Colangelo is back on the runway with a sensual, tactile collection that was less formal than in past seasons. He packed it full of soft knits made from cashmere, sometimes blended with silk and wool, glossy shaved shearling coats, and even curly shearling handbags as cuddly as a cockapoo.
He described the collection as “intimate,” and said he worked hard to create fabrics that not only felt good against the skin, but also teased the eye, as in a long, white fuzzy wool knit coat with the yarn on the outside cut and worked by hand to resemble fur.
Other tactile surfaces included chenille for sweaters and knit dresses with bold, structured shoulders, and a black coat and slipdress with 3D embroideries shaped like orchids, the house flower. The embroideries were done by hand using traditional Chinese methods, a nod to Giada’s owners, Redstone Haute Couture, which is based in Shenzhen.
Other, more minimal pieces also had a buttery touch, including a sleeveless, high-neck leather dress and matching coat, and a cardigan with a deep V-neck and gold buttons.
A more demure, sweatshirt-style knit had strong shoulders and an elastic gathering at the waist, while another oversized gray sweater was casually tossed over a sheer pencil skirt with a black orchid motif.
Long silk dresses with scooped-out backs and batwing sleeves, and those flat shearling coats, all had a discreet elegance that looked far better moving down a runway than in a static showroom presentation.