Splendors of Past Ages and Modern Times

Fall Winter 2011-12

March 1, 2011

By Gianmarco Gentile

Milan, Italy – Imagine a night filled with a dreamy atmosphere. A neoclassical villa with marbled floors and columns, mirrors everywhere, golden stuccos and chiseled pottery, frescos on ceilings, glossy surfaces and background classical music filling up the rooms. Splendors of past ages and modern times. That was more or less the setting of the Luisa Beccaria fashion show, an outstanding exhibition of good taste, elegance, lightness and self-confident femininity.

Pale pink silk skirts, a long grey pleated gown with intricate decors on the corset, a Bordeaux chiffon skirt, an ivory dress made of macramé lace with a gold brush stroke,.

Gol is the leitmotif of the collection. This was definitely Luisa Beccaria’s season of gold, both the color and the material. Strokes of gold enrich knits and maxi-pulls, golden copper threads entwine the tweed of coat, jackets and capes, golden dentelle shawls are worn on the head as to recall the idea of an old times femininity. Delicately embroidered tulle embellish sinuous and feminine knits. Golden python thin belts underline the waistline when worn over white cashmere pulls and white stretch wool dresses. Golden blouses often contrast with tweed kilts. An overall feeling of gracefulness and whispered sensuality marks the collection.

A white, Christian Dior-inspired cream woolen woman’s suit has a very high waist skirt with a tiny cut on the back and three-quarter-long sleeved jacket, contrasting vividly with a ‘70s era piece such as a flower printed trouser suit.

But, clearly, the key elements of this fairytale dream have to be gowns – the strongest elements of the collection. Evening dresses are multi-layered, tulle and metallic organdie overlapping ribbons create evocative, iridescent flounces. The night, then, is the time for silky, voluptuous, soft and luxurious dresses. The extraordinary warmth and lightness of gold can be found in these gowns too, when elaborate embroideries shimmer with golden sparkles and the smooth train of a spaghetti-strap white-and-gold duchesse gown add the real fairytale feeling to the whole show.