There is some beautiful texturing and layering in Altuzarra's Spring 2014 collection courtesy of the Japanese Boro fabric used as the collection's inspiration. This patchwork fabric adds a sophisticated character to a collection with so many levels of detail, from the menswear touches to leather fringe. All of this is tied together through a more feminine lightness than expected from the brand, via loose silk and a lighter color palette on elongated forms.
The following press release goes into more detail about the collection:
Altuzarra's Spring 2014 collection
The Spring Summer 2014 Collection draws the Altuzarra woman in the direction of effortless grace and delicate femininity. From the association of airy fabrics, gentle folding and the freshness of the elongated silhouette, this collection presents an ensemble that is at once refreshing and elegant. The characteristic Altuzarra sophistication and seduction is softened and relaxed, building on the informality and ease of layering, the intricacy of ethnic detailing and the quiet strength of masculine tailoring.
This collection was initially inspired by Japanese Boro clothing: everyday garments, patched and pieced to prolong their usefulness for the farmers and fishermen who wore them. In this season, Altuzarra explores the concept of the beauty of the utilitarian, and the elegance of the imperfect. Boro, the transformation of the pragmatic into the artistic became a metaphor and the origin of this collection’s inspiration.
A color palette of creams and whites impart lightness and luminosity and is enlivened with burnished-metal threaded fabrics, and botanical embroideries. Prints of enlarged French ticking motifs bring summer crispness, but in silk. Fluid silk twills, washed silks and charmeuse ripple and wave at the subtlest movement of the body and the lightest breath of air. Midnight blue textured silks and tropical wool provide a bold counter-point to the ephemeral lighter colors and materials, while classic Oxford shirting cotton playfully add a touch of crispness. The understated associations of textures lend refine-ment and grace to each of the pieces. Leather fringes crescendo from trims to full garments, but still with the lightness and delicacy that underlie the collection.
The patina-finished brass jewelry, a collaboration with Philip Crangi, evokes the lyricism of the garments underlining the ethnic accents and echoing the metallic fabrics. The linearity of the shoes elongate the silhouette with a simplicity intended to echo the spirit of the collection.