Capucci Embraces Future of Fashion
By J.J. Martin
MILAN, Mar 54, 2003/ FWD/ --- There was once a Roman couturier whose beautifully sculpted designs hung only on the racks of elite museums or on the backs of a very select group of women. But those days are long gone for Roberto Capucci, who has debuted his very first ready-to-wear collection, a collaborative effort headed up by Belgian designer Bernard Wilhelm and entrepreneur Franco Bruccoleri.
Perhaps most telling of the house's new life was the contrast between the 73-year-old designer, dapper at Friday's presentation in a navy pinstripe suit and purple satin tie, standing next to the young designer who holds the fate to his name -- clad in a logo-ed hooded sweatshirt, vintage velvet blazer and beat up trainers.
Last century's clean, optimistic classics have met the deconstructed modern design anthem for the next millennium. To both men, it's a match made in heaven.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time," said the iconic designer, beaming about the creative results. "I started a half century ago and times have certainly changed. This world is no longer made for alta moda. It is time for a new Capucci."
Wilhelm, an avant-garde Belgian designer who designed the first collection himself and will soon be joined by a team, has been a longtime fan of the Italian designer. "We may come from different places and eras, but we're both absolutely captured by the world of fantasy."
To the untrained eye, this might not have appeared to be a collection anchored in the playful, constructed vocabulary of vintage Capucci. But upon closer inspection, the sculpted details and geometric influence of the Capucci roots poured forth in subtle, often surprising ways.
A key driver for this collection was the box shape that Capucci is credited with pioneering. "Capucci's dresses could have stood by themselves in the corner," said Wilhelm of the stiff, rigidity of the vintage designs. "We've loosened things up a bit." Or rather, quite a lot. Loads of voluminous fabric, draped or poofed on blouses, jackets and trenches, presented a totally new definition for the word "boxy."
The cape, one of Capucci's signature pieces, played throughout the collection, morphing into medieval style cloaks with ample volume, or subtly appearing on split tails dangling off jackets and shirts. In sweatshirt, jersey or washed cotton materials, the capes were a far, but very modern cry from the super luxurious, gold boucle versions hanging in the Capucci archive.
"But that was exactly the point," Wilhelm explained after the show. "Capucci's designs were made for women who didn't work or didn't move. We're being very practical. This is for everyday life."
Wilhelm didn't show the head-to-toe rainbow colors that characterized much of Capucci's work, as well as that of his heyday 1960s era, but fun shots of color did appear in a canary yellow jersey blouse with wing sleeves, or a cotton candy pink draped jersey dress.
The clothes were serious, and looked like fare for intellectual fashionistas. Nothing overtly sexy or crass came within miles of this runway, just a calm sense of allure.
"That's exactly the kind of aesthetic I like," said Tara Subkoff, the Imitation of Christ designer who has been tapped, along with Sybilla, to collaborate with Wilhelm starting with the next collection. "Being sexy is being unique. It's not about showing skin or being vulgar." The American designer, who just arrived from Rome where she reviewed thousands of drawings and dresses in the Capucci archive, said she was thrilled about the project and not worried that she and Roberto Capucci do not have a spoken language in common. "We communicate with eye contact. It's more about feelings than anything else."
And for the historic designer himself? "This is exactly what I wanted," he said post-show. "They used my most important themes, especially the graphic linear lines based on Leonardo da Vinci's 'Man in a Circle.' You can see my work, only broader and for more people. This is the future of fashion."
He is no doubt about it a sculptor. I have heard the term "wearable sculpture" used before but then it was only tossed around--in this instance, it is really true. Beyond the color, the form is exceptional and poetic. For some reason the color doesn't bother me so much. There are only a couple of times where I feel it goes overboard and interferes with the piece--even though they are bold and garish colors, the construction and form of his (I can't even call it clothing) works are strong enough to carry it.
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