A medley of images was plastered on Albino D’Amato’s moodboard, hung on the wall of his unusually serene backstage area—normally it’s a quite hellishly chaotic place before the show. Pictures of Japanese designers’ austere conceptualism mingled with Jean Muir’s languid dresses and Yves Saint Laurent ’80s sexy stiletto sandals worn with fishnet stockings, shot by Guy Bourdin. Yet what stood out in clashing contrast with this virtual portrait of an elegantly perverse, womanly sophistication was the image of two adorable little kids holding hands, dressed in their parents’ oversize jackets which were trailing on the floor, way too big for them. “I couldn’t resist it,” said D’Amato. “There’s so much tenderness; it’s so sweet and innocent. I wanted to capture that feeling—it inspired me to work around the idea of gentle deconstruction.”
D’Amato was back on the catwalk after taking a break for a few seasons to pursue other projects. Now he felt confident enough to stage a comeback, supported by a more structured team with fresh energy to spare. The collection condensed the designer’s message with a concise rhythm, infused with the sophisticated, grown-up feel that D’Amato favors. The focus was on outerwear; long shell coats and wrapped capes were built with a soft architectural flair, evidenced by a play on folding reminiscent of Japanese construction, yet it was softened by a sensuous appeal.
Tailoring was precise, punctuated by calibrated imperfections: raw hems, incomplete finishings, clashes of apparently wrong color combinations, awkwardly paired textures and fabrics, unassembled panels let loose as if by deliberate mistake. The play between fragility and austerity was expressed by contrasting fabrics: Flimsy point d’ésprit looked even more dainty against stark wool felt; the obvious femininity of lace was offset by dry, masculine textures. It had a quite perverse feel—in a romantic way.
