By:Amy Rosner By:Amy Rosner | February 15, 2022 | Style & Beauty,
“This season I was inspired by the ocean, seafarers, and the myths and mysteries of the underwater world. I wanted the collection to not only evoke the intrepid and adventurous spirit of sailors and world travelers, but also the mystery and darkness of the ocean’s depths, populated with mermaids and mythological creatures,” Joseph Altuzarra.
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The show was held in New York City’s historic Woolworth Building, with its dramatic ceiling featuring motifs of fish scales, sea creatures, and small sailboats. Evocative of faraway travel, the building is also the location of Altuzarra’s studio and headquarters, making it symbolically and physically very close to home, according to the release.
The moment we entered the beautiful space, our eyes fixated on Anna Wintour: a being that represents the very essence of the industry. And yes, she was wearing sunglasses.
Wintour’s presence, along with Gigi Hadid’s anticipated runway walk, immediately signaled the magnitude of the show.
This was not just any fashion show, this was the fashion show of the season.
Exploring our collective longing for travel and the space between reality and myth, fact and fantasy, Altuzarra's collection evolves through a framework of sea explorers and nautical creatures.
Fall 2022 examines the stories that surround these worlds in the unique vocabulary of everyday luxury that Altuzarra is known for. Emblematic of this language, the traditional sailor marinière—an instant wardrobe staple—is imagined in sweater form and anchored in thick rib knit. Peacoats with oversized shearling lapels, weathered knitwear, and mother-of-pearl fastenings all nod to rugged coastlines and maritime history, the release explains.
“Speaking to the collection’s themes of world travel and discovery, as well as Altuzarra multicultural identity, the art of craftsmanship and the handmade are infused throughout. Celebrating global artisans, Altuzarra introduces a textural rug motif inspired by the tactile, artful backsides of handwoven Moroccan Berber rugs. Shibori tie-dye, an Altuzarra signature print, is reimagined this season in collaboration with Japanese artisans, reworked onto cinched-up knitwear separates. The kilt skirt, a silhouette explored by Altuzarra after Joseph’s trip to the Scottish Highlands, is interpreted in supple vegan leather.
Through a lens of 1920s decadence, the collection’s tailoring and eveningwear find inspiration in mythological aquatic creatures and the myths and mysteries surrounding women’s bodies. Geometric prints are hand-engineered onto pleated dresses, intricately designed by stretching and re-folding to create round, shell-inspired motifs. Weathered coin embellishments—cut from aluminum and hand-tarnished for an aged, hydrolyzed look— emphasize the busts of knitwear and eventually evolve into fully embellished gowns, alluding to the scales of mermaids,” the release states.
According to the release, “Accessories this season are infused with the spirit of global travel. Offering on-the-go ease, Altuzarra’s signature Watermill bag is reimagined in a structured backpack silhouette with cactus leather details. The braid bag is featured in new seasonal colorways—tri-tonal blue and red, as well as re-crafted in deadstock suede. The Play bag is explored in soft shearling finishes, as well as in the new iconic shape of the Play Bucket. Other finishing pieces in the collection include shell and coin embellished rope belts and wide braided belts that cinch the frame. Platform sandals and boots take the collection to new heights.”
Photography by: Courtesy Altuzarra