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At Pitti W 9

Women designing women
Singing above the choir
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Women designing women

Singing above the choir

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Below, a look of /eleonoraniccolai and a Francesca Zunino dress.

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Their style is sophisticated, ultra-contemporary and they sing above the choir. The voices are increasingly female, but not all of them. They design collections thinking of the freedoms that today’s women – and they themselves – would like to have in their wardrobes. They break down the barriers between day and night, between street wear and elegance, between size 0 and size XL, and they apply their energies to discovering new textures and new fits.
Each item by /eleonoraniccolai hangs as if it were draped right on the body, created unusual and sometimes provocative shapes which, in turn, become scarves, hoods and other “accessories” in a sort of ongoing metamorphosis. Alessandra Carrer responds to the need for changing looks during the day to meet the occasion by creating jackets that easily fold into bags – the JackBags. Francesca Zunino makes seamless clothes using different materials together: boiled wools in different weights, sheepskin, mink and the - all time favorite – suede and enriches everything with interchangeable collars.
 

 

Illustration dedicated to the theme "Women designing women". Below a dress of Nataliya Kaut London, and some Kzeniya Oudenot clutches.

 

Nataliya Kaut London looks to the geometric lines of the Farm Street Church and offers a fascinating juxtaposition of textures with soft wools and crocodile skin: a look that is perfect in the coats with super-structured collars, silk jumpers and tops inspired by the idea of motion. Conny Groenewegen won the 2010 Dutch Accessory Award and gets her inspiration from the pure, simple lines of Northern European design. Her limited edition creations come to life in the lab where she does her research on shapes and materials. Squarish shapes, metallic colors, printed leathers and chains characterize the clutches by London-based Kzeniya Oudenot, who gets her inspiration from the art of body writing, from Peter Greenway’s Pillow Book and works by Brancusi and Anish Kapoor.

 

A Carlotta Actis Barone outfit. Below a Maxjenny jacket.
 

Also from London, Italian designer Carlotta Actis Barone, famous for her collections denouncing sensitive social issues. The theme for next winter is the Holocaust. The Tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl, is the inspiration for evening suits and cloaks: almost a murmured declaration of the right to pray.
Margareta Forslund continues to strengthen her eco-sustainable world view season after season for Maxjenny. The Streetsculptures line of sculptural outdoor jackets is made of recycled materials in lively printed patterns.  

An Es’givien look. Below, a Covherlab composit.

Continuing along with the same themes, natural color eco-feathers, laminated eco-fur and eco-silk crepe are the key materials in the new collection created by the sisters, Nives, Gaia and Vivilla Zampini of Es’givien. Juxtaposed lines and yarns, experiments in workmanship – impalpable wool gauze, glacé viscose flock jacquards, totally black torn lace – and in volumes that range from mini to maxi for a very feminine look. Famous for work on new silhouettes in denim the creative team of Serge Azria, Emily Current and Meritt Ellio of Current/Elliot are launching a special capsule collection of python printed denim in neon colors: a must-have to enliven dreary winter evenings with bold colors.
And, there is Covherlab a male/female binomial: the designer is Marco Grisolia and the brand manager is Paola Romaniello. The Twentythree collection presents clean construction and formal discipline informed by early twentieth century Italian rationalist architecture. The dialogue between inside and outside is a vital element as we can see in the coats and jackets with their doublé, dynamic vertical panels that open.
 

Testi di Elena Moretti

Illustrazioni di Dawidh di Firmo