September 30, 2011,
11:20 am
A Stylish Spin on Web Fashion
By
CATHY HORYN
It’s a pleasure to see Alessandra Facchinetti back on the runway. You may remember her from her brief moment at Gucci, in 2004, when she succeeded Tom Ford. Then, following Valentino’s retirement, she took over the creative direction at that house. It was, let us say, an impossible job, and her first ready-to-wear collections were tentative. At the time I thought: too many hands in this kitchen. But then she delivered a gorgeous haute couture collection for Valentino that I still vividly remember, the kind of witty femininity that could let in some much-needed air.
Ms. Facchinetti is now designing for Uniqueness, an online project conceived by Pietro Negra, the chief executive of Pinko, a contemporary fashion label in Italy. Over a Diet Coke at the Bristol hotel the other day, she explained that Mr. Negra approached her about six months ago. “I thought it was an interesting challenge to do something that was seasonless and on the Web,” she said. “Because it’s how most of us live today.”
Actually, there is no waiting for the clothes; they’re available for immediate delivery — at uniqueness.it and thecorner.com. (If you live in the United States, you will be able to order from thecorner.com as of Oct. 3). Eventually, Ms. Facchinetti said, the company hopes to have the line available in some department stores and boutiques.
It’s not fast fashion, she pointed out. The clothes in the initial collection, which she showed in a clever presentation on Thursday night in Paris, are priced from 90 euros to about 1,200 euros, with a military-style coat priced at 670 euros and a funky patchwork maxidress selling for 850 euros. I thought Ms. Facchinetti packed a lot of fashion into her designs. When we met at the Bristol, she had on a crisp, high-collared, double-breasted navy jacket with gold buttons; she did a similar style in bright pink. She worked mini-kilts into the line (I love a mini-kilt) and also had uniform-inspired suits with asymmetrical wrap skirts and blouses in a graphic botanical print. There are about 80 garments in the initial collection, which will be doled out gradually over the next few weeks. The company also ordered extra fabric if certain garments sell out. Down the road, Ms. Facchinetti said she plans to add accessories to Uniqueness.
“I loved doing couture, and maybe some day I’ll go back to it,” she said. But, given the heart-stopping prices of high fashion these days, it is an incredibly tempting challenge to design within normal boundaries. And Ms. Facchinetti has an eye that’s worth following.
