Review of Azzaro Couture Fall 2021 Couture Fashion Show
Sparkling Silver Suits and Asymmetrical Feather Dresses Set for a New Disco Era
By Long Nguyen
Olivier Theyskens, the Belgian creative director at Azzaro, is doing something right since he debuted the launch of his Azzaro collections his arrival at the house founded in 1967 by Lois Azzaro in February 2020.
Theyskens’ launch collection for both women’s and men’s fashion was due in July 2020 during the Paris haute couture show season, but that did not occur. Instead, the designer showed a very subdued film showcasing barely any real ideas for clothes proposals. What Theyskens showed last July in the taped film was a taste for the 1980s silhouettes and the mixtures of hard and soft materials within the veins of the Azzaro 1970s mood.
This season, Theyskens again examined the Azzaro archives and saw in the past many elements that are relevant to how he sees fashion today. Among the archival images and clothes stored at the office above the store on the Faubourg Saint Honoré store are the pictures of the ‘It’ girls from that 1970s era and their sense of freedom in fashion.
Big shoulders jackets and micro dresses were the norms at the time. Still, other versions of clothes Lois Azzaro made for women like the singer Dalida, a few looks now owned by the Palais Galliera fashion museum, were less flashy but still very spirited. It is from this more hidden Azzaro that Theyskens absorb the past and produce this fall couture collection.
That surely meant clothes cut in serious body con stretch shapes, asymmetrical lines, and plenty of embellishments but clothes done so in subtle ways that don’t scream embroideries. These Azzaro fall couture clothes are incredibly sexy, not a typical quality for couture.
Of course, the no audience show opened with the sparkling silver tailored smoking pantsuit with enough glittering to put ten disco balls to shame. Black stretch dresses have the three rings stones embroidered in the back and a series of silver and light green one-shoulder asymmetrical cut long dresses. The evening dress had plume trims decorations like a long white dress with bust and side white feathers.
There were silver pantsuits and shiny leather single breast coats paired with black beaded pants for the menswear. One of the charcoal single breast pantsuits is made with a shiny fabric that is usually not used for clothing, but the tech fabric is soft enough to cut into this suit.
The couture line is mixed in with the atelier collection at the showroom, which is lighter than a ready-to-wear collection. While the ready-to-wear was more tone down with less embellishment, the cuts and fabrics mirror their couture counterparts. A grey knit stretch dress has slight trims decorations, while a simple black has enough of a draw not to require any additional sparkles.
The designer again decided to show a taped version of an actual live show in place of a live show as conditions don’t seem suitable for the brand to stage a real-life showing. Since his arrival at this French house, the Belgian-born designer has yet to have a chance to produce a live presentation of his work. The fashion house is hopeful for the end of next January for the Spring 2022 haute couture season.