In September, storied Italian label Balestra, under the artistic direction of the late founder Renato Balestra’s granddaughter Sofia Bertolli Balestra, revealed its commitment to expanding internationally and focusing on the U.S. alongside its spring collection. Currently, the brand is selling at Switch in Los Angeles and Montaigne Market in St. Barths, and will soon be launching with specialty boutiques Off Seids, House of Jax and Bliss Boutique.
For pre-fall, Bertolli Balestra continued to reference the brand’s archive — “the base of the collection,” she said — and utilized its luxe Italian fabrications and well-known embroideries in versatile, intriguing fashions.
For instance, taking the brand’s evening-centric shimmering embroideries and reworking them into a gilded high-waisted, floor-length skirt and bra top or an elongated sheer black tank top. The easier, cool silhouettes were paired with equally appealing styles, like a leather-looking laminated jersey pleated miniskirt, pull-on silk pajama pants and cropped button-downs.
“It was a journey into discovering new materials. In the past, there were flame motifs or inspirations but this was about the ‘real Balestra.’ We can give the feeling and touch of what is fashion, which is not just about seeing a beautiful piece, but interacting with them,” she said. In addition to soft jersey evening dresses, denim came in the form of an oversized tailored trench while a head-to-toe cotton twill cargo look was painted and distressed in shades of blue.
“The silhouettes are a contrast between feminine and masculine, like the miniskirts and fluid silhouettes next to the masculine overcoats. It’s always a balance between one silhouette and the other,” she said.
From sexy, laminated cross-over miniskirts, crop tops and jackets to ruched shorts and bodysuits and sportif, textured nylon layers, the pre-fall collection continued to push the Balestra brand into its new era.