Designers who can create garments characterised by a sculpted silhouette that can alter and transform the body shape always manage to catch my attention. It’s absolutely mesmerising how particular cuts, details and fabrics can indeed highlight particular parts of the body. Gaetano Navarra is definitely one of these designers.
Of Spanish origins, but born in 1970 in Bologna, Navarra first gained experience in his family’s knitwear factory. Navarra’s merit stands in having learnt the technical aspects of fashion from his family’s traditions and in having combined them with his personal ideas and tastes, his three-dimensional approach and innovative pattern making techniques.
His recent Autumn-Winter 2008-09 collection featured garments inspired by the 1930s and ‘40s, filtered through his modern vision. The keywords to this collection were essentially two, volume and proportions. Among the best pieces of this collection there are coat dresses with elaborate collars, organza shirts with ruches and pleats, bubble skirts, tailored pencil skirts, and sculpted felt bustier-waistcoats with a futuristic edge. Navarra accompanied all his designs with eccentric and at times surreal avant-garde hats.
All Navarra's garments are usually characterised by distinctive fabrics, such as cashmere and crepe, and beautiful details, as highlighted also by his linear and refined menswear collections.
Though rigid, Navarra’s silhouettes are never static, and movement is what characterises his Spring/Summer 2009 collection. Some of his more ample garments remind of the structures of baroque architectures, others can be considered as studies on colour as his coats and dresses in different nuances of grey - from anthracite to a foggish grey that almost melts into white - prove.
Light fabrics such as washed silk, linen and organza are used to create soft and light stylish juxtapositions, while his hand-painted motifs introduce a touch of Japonisme into his Spring/Summer 09 collection enriched by accessories such as nylon hats that can change shape as they are supported by iron thread structures, turbans or necklaces with amber, ceramic or jade elements.
Navarra will soon launch a women’s pre-collection for Autumn 2009. The pre-collection - available from May 2009 - will feature garments inspired by a sort of ‘70s look that will complement the style and identity of the Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 main collection, while representing for the designer a new outlet for his fantasy and imagination. I actually hope the designer will preserve in his pre-collection those sculpted silhouettes that have so far been his trademark designs.
The launch of the Navarra pre-collection marks an important step forward for this label that recently went under a restructuring after the entry of a Chinese majority shareholder in the company.
While waiting for his pre-collections, Gaetano Navarra’s fans passing through Milan can admire his men and womenswear creations at the Daad Dantone shops in Corso Matteotti 20 and Via Santo Spirito 24/a, two prestigious outlets in terms of trend-setting retail in Italy.
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