While to many he has come to epitomize it, Brunello Cucinelli doesn’t like the term “quiet luxury,” insisting that “there is nothing quiet in the craftsmanship” of his luxury fashion brand.
Indeed, the collection he showed for fall was an ode to artisanal, handmade designs, with incredibly elaborate embellishments. However, in his signature understated way, Cucinelli’s goal was to present the looks with an apparent ease, as the models posed nonchalantly wearing thigh-length silk blouses under oversized knits sparkling with sequins, or loose and soft yet perfectly tailored super-light velvet, satin or flannel pantsuits over tops decorated with tiny feathers.
“There is a return to elegance and well-made clothes,” claimed Cucinelli.
He ticked both boxes, as pieces could double as workwear or cocktail and evening wear at the same time, and there was no doubt about the quality of the fabrics employed, seen for example in a stunning one-piece, seamless knit that was all hand-crocheted with intarsia and floral motifs. These contributed to the overall feel of highly textured, 3D designs, contrasting with a color palette of different shades of gray, marble, butter, beige, panama and brown.
Double, bonded and padded manufacturing techniques were key and contributed to a new structure and feel to nappa and suede formal coats and trenches, offering a fresh, new take on classics. Veiling and layering on knits offered transparencies but, in true Cucinelli style, never in-your-face. There were a plethora of fringes on argyle knits reinterpreted in a feminine way with sequins, Irish cables and classic ribbed knitwear.
A-line skirts were juxtaposed with masculine sweaters and shirts, and mohair tuxedos and matching sets of coats and overshirts rounded out this beautiful collection.
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