Antonio Ortega’s new couture collection for spring-summer 2016 shows that luxury in today’s world, the real luxury, lies in the chance to express oneself, the chance to embrace the richness of encounters. This collection was inspired by encounters with three women, all exceptional artisans: Señora Inés and Señora Camerina Teresa, both virtuosos in the art of crochet, and Véronique Loupe, who excels in making lace. The evocative power of these meetings brought the designer back to the images and emotions of his childhood: a grandmother, draped in her shawl, happily knitting for hours on end.
The collection thus captures these emotions, those memories and borrows images such as a landscape in which the Earth and sky are one… A day passes, seasons, storms, a landscape of air and water, pasture and earth become successively threatening, joyful, disturbing, and calm; all is transformed over time. Antonio Ortega cuts slices of the sky to construct his clothing landscapes, blending camaïeu, shine, contrast – be it tormented or ever so slight – and chiffon, silk crepe, cotton, tweed, riveted leather, taffeta, feathers and rhinestones to form a collection for the seductive, sensuous woman.
Forms are fluid, flowing over the body, asymmetric and overlapping, or allowing the briefest glimpses of a body, exposing color, shine and form. The know-how of these women artisans lends deep meaning to these clothes, infusing them with a rich history of fortunate encounters.
Are you inspired by Antonio Ortega’s SS16? What piece would you wear?
* Credit: Antonio Ortega
