Inspiring ALTUZARRA Pre Spring 2018 collection

“This season I was inspired by Cities and Rural spaces, and the tension that exists between the two.

I began, on the one hand, with stereotypes of corporate America and city-wear as seen in popular culture, from working-girl to American Psycho. Traditional tailoring and shirting are deconstructed and broken down, only to be put back together in new ways. The trench coat is cut asymmetrically, twisting around the body, and cutting away seductively over the leg. The placket on a classic white shirt is moved to the side, giving it a new feminine ease; a bright orange blazer gracefully wraps around the waist, creating a sloping, uneven hem.

My exploration of rural dress centered around the Bretagne region of France, and its distinctive folkloric costume, in sharp contrast to the hard-edged polish of the corporate uniform. It was the juxtaposition and tension between these two worlds that I was interested in exploring for the collection: a lace apron peeking out from under a pinstripe suit, a crisp poplin shirt worn under a smocked bralette. This interplay is particularly apparent in a series of jackets, dresses and tops that layer clean tailored silhouettes over soft, draping shawls, printed with traditional lacework graphics, and trimmed with fringe.

For evening, we looked at the traditional embroidered fichu- triangular shawls framed with lace that women would wear around their shoulders or waists.

We re-imagined them as dresses and tops, splicing their edges and creating soft undulating silhouettes from their long geometric shapes. Even here, the interplay of folkloric craft and hard-edged polish is apparent: each embroidered tulle dress is layered over a seemingly mismatched brightly-colored slip.”

– J.A.