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#SuzyNYFW: Altuzarra – Bringing Heart And Art To A Disruptive World

Swelling, oval statues covered in moss and lichen dwarfed the runway at Altuzarra. They sent a message of hidden beauty, historic gardens and manicured elegance – and so did the clothes in this Autumn/Winter 2017 collection.

But this was not a fairy tale spun by a young designer, his background divided between his childhood in France and his grown-up life in America. Joseph Altuzarra wants to enrich his growing business across the world with clients who appreciate the craftsmanship and visual depth of his work.

Altuzarra's look had been influenced by paintings or elements of the past. Credit: Indigital

Altuzarra’s look had been influenced by paintings or elements of the past. Credit: Indigital

“On the one hand I wanted to do something that would just be a pleasure to people – a feast for the eyes,” said the designer.

“What’s happened politically has been more emotional than economically disruptive. It has been a really strange time, not just for us. I went to London just after Brexit and I was in London the night of the American election. It’s like we are living through a TV show.

“What I want to do is not escapism, but bringing in some heart and some art,” he continued.

Altuzarra’s balancing act between past, present and future was achieved by taking dresses in lush velvets and embossed or embellished fabrics and pitting them against hefty boots on models who stomped out as if warriors for women’s power. It made for a strange combo, sometimes seeming too aggressive for the clothes.

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Yet this plunge into the border of the Mediaeval and Renaissance eras could be startlingly beautiful: a tailored coat with embroidered frogging, or a pinafore dress worn over a diamond patterned sweater and, at the waist, a crisscross decoration seen in ancient paintings – and frequently on this runway.

Altuzarra wants to enrich his growing business across the world with clients who appreciate the craftsmanship. Credit: Indigital

Altuzarra wants to enrich his growing business across the world with clients who appreciate the craftsmanship. Credit: Indigital

Elements of the historical included a trouser suit in plush velvet that looked more royal court than streetwise with embellishment imbedded in fur.

As I was shown the mood board of references, I understood the way that the Altuzarra look had been influenced by paintings or elements of the past, even if it was only a frill-edged white collar or a tracery of miniature gilded baubles.

“I started looking at northern European Renaissance painting and I was interested in that jump after the Middle Ages when portrait painters became interested in what people actually looked like,” Altuzarra said.

The models wore hefty boots that brought a dose of reality. Credit: Indigital

The models wore hefty boots that brought a dose of reality. Credit: Indigital

“I wanted to do something inspired by the complexity of that – the costume and the color but also the down-to-earth-ness. So there is a richness and a feeling of being very regal. But there is also a reality too, because all the clothes are worn with these very pragmatic boots, flat, so all the girls look as if they’re walking down the street.”

The Renaissance-style dresses were teamed with big boots. Credit: Indigital

The Renaissance-style dresses were teamed with big boots. Credit: Indigital

Sounds complex? Sometimes it seemed too much so for today’s world. But it was also a pleasure to see such workmanship, rare in American fashion shows. And there was a feeling that Joseph Altuzarra has an empathy with his uptown clients in an era when clear vision is essential to success.

Suzy in Conversation with Joseph Altuzarra

My long conversation with Joseph Altuzarra took place in the historic building overlooking City Hall, where women’s rights campaigners and people against President Trump’s immigration orders are demonstrating all week.

In this oasis of calm and beauty, with a mood board filled with early Renaissance images, I talked in-depth with the 33-year-old designer.

Suzy Menkes: How does this mood board translate to your collection? How do you connect the two?

Joseph Altuzarra: Specifically, the lacing on these comes from Dutch or Flemish paintings of non-noble women. It works as a kind of corseting around the front, with these rounded shapes on top of the dresses.

SM: Although the inspiration is so specific, it does not shout out “historic art”.

JA: It was for me to interact with the inspiration and make it feel different. So with a Middle Ages doublet, we started to do the research, and those furs became these that you see right here. For the quilting, we had the same idea, but we put faggoting in-between. Part of it was done in Italy and part in New York and then they were embroidered all over as an interpretation of ermine fur.

SM: So you put a lot of work into these materials?

JA: A lot of fabric development, but also silhouette focus like the new much-rounder shoulder. And I love a detachable collar.

SM: How does Grace Kelly come on to your mood board? Is it the fuller shapes and the pearls with sporty jackets?

JA: The toggle cape was inspired by the Grace Kelly picture. But the jacket with the red patches on the right of the board actually came from hunting – and these buttons were also developed from that as a little fox and a bird.

SM: A lot of this seems at couture level.

JA: Yes, it is because of the handwork. Then there is corseting in a lot of the Renaissance painting – and the pleating.

SM: So who are the clients in New York for this demi-couture?

JA: Good question. It is a clientele that is much more global, ranging from anywhere from Asia to the Middle East to parts of the US. We have seen there is still a desire and demand for the very special. People are looking for things that feel unique.

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