Lebanese designer Rani Zakhem made his Alta Roma debut, as he showcased his Fall 2014 Couture collection in Rome from July 12th to 16th.
“The inspiration comes from the numerous metamorphosis and different moments in the life of a woman–from youth to maturity, and particularly from dawn till dusk, explained the designer, referring to his many chiffon, tulle, lace and organza numbers, which were adorned with sequins and opulent hand-made embroideries.
And indeed, the mood of a woman throughout the day was an obvious guiding thread of Zakhem’s collection, and the designer took great care of depicting this ongoing metamorphosis, which was meant to evoke the blossoming of a woman and her awakening sensuality.
In this sense, the first part of the collection embodied the early morning sky, with delicately cut silhouettes in shades of pale pink—take that floral lace top holding a cascade of silk chiffon—before growing into a more sophisticated take on evening gowns, with kaleidoscopic geometric embroideries, crystal flowers and gold sequins—standing for the sunny daylight—to finally end with red and black mermaid dresses, that stood out for their meticulously executed technical elements, such as sequined dégradé embroideries and laser devoré flocked tulle.
“The collaboration with Alta Roma was perfect,” enthused the designer, who was featured on Alta Roma’s official calendar for the very first time. “It’s an experience that gives me an international credibility.”
Now that Zakhem wrapped up a successful Couture runway show in Rome, he’s off to focus on developing the production capacity and retail activity of his eponymous brand. “I’ll be back in Rome next season with my couture collection,” he concluded. “In the meantime, we are looking to enlarge our distribution network and collaborating with more Italian manufacturers.”
—Elisabeta Tudor
