Luca Luca (Q3221)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Luca Luca is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Luca Luca |
Luca Luca is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
1992
founder
"I was thinking about sensuality," Raul Melgoza said backstage before his show. That, combined with a summer cruise on the Mediterranean, meant a more relaxed silhouette than the structured seaming the designer is known for.Abandoning lines for curves and experimenting with draping, Melgoza exposed shoulders, showed off bare backs, and dotted the sides of skirts and pants with buttons you could undo high or fasten low. Knotted head scarves and turbans lent the show a breezy, nautical touch.The collection worked best when aiming for easy sexiness. A royal blue chiffon point d'esprit off-the-shoulder dress showed just enough skin. Next to it, the few embellished looks, like a white halter dress with a clavicle-exposing cutout and sheer, sequined sleeves, felt clunky. The most sensual piece may have been the easiest of all: a sheer, black, ombré knit caftan, worn over silk satin pants.
8 September 2011
For his latest Resort collection, Raul Melgoza envisioned traveling through a small village in Morocco. The Luca Luca designer wanted "to add a crafty, relaxed feeling to the clothes." So he used a floating, basketweave technique reminiscent of regional tile work on an azure linen skirtsuit. There was also an easy but still dressed-up coat-dress in laser-cut lace with a mosaiclike pattern. Some of the more memorable looks here were evening-appropriate and came in colors that evoked a Berber sunset: A pair of ombré palazzo pants cut from metallic jacquard was tied with a flouncy bow at the waist, and the standout piece of the collection was a tomato red, strapless gown in pleated silk chiffon that had a high slit and pooling skirt.
13 June 2011
A native Californian, Raul Melgoza shook out memories of childhood trips to Yosemite to come up with this season's wardrobe for his tony clientele. "I thought about where I go to relax," the designer said backstage before his show. "And I thought about a woman traveling through the woods. What would she wear?" Well, in Luca Luca's woods, heels are perfectly practical, and leather is a must. A nod to functionality came through in a pair of streamlined pants, a cross between jodhpurs and cigarettes, worn with a leather utility belt—"like a detachable cummerbund," Melgoza explained. Generally, the woodsy references were confined to print and embellishment. A pencil skirt was treated to look like bark, and the fine strands of jet black beading on the bodice of a closing gown resembled a strand of seeds, or the fine veins that run through leaves.There may not have been many surprises—as usual, Melgoza's eye for architectural seaming and detailing was in evidence—but this season the designer made a point of using color, employing hues that, while saturated, were never too pop. Those are the types of tones Luca Luca's customers will likely gravitate toward as they follow the call to incorporate more color into their closets. When that time comes, an orange fox chubby worn over a pair of slim wool pants and a cashmere sweater, both in fuchsia and topped with a matching watch cap, would be a very bold place to start.
9 February 2011
The Thomas Crown Affair(the 1968 original with Faye Dunaway) was an affair to remember forLuca Luca's Raul Melgoza. Inspired by the heist flick, a perennial favorite among designers despite the fact that its vitality and glamour are basically impossible to replicate, he turned out boxy gabardine shifts and a double-breasted cashmere coat with a swath of tonal leather around the waist. Houndstooth was the primary pattern in the mostly neutral collection. Sharp and graphic on a classic sheath, it showed up as a warped print on a secretary blouse and tuxedo trouser and again as a blown-up pattern in burnout velvet on a split-back shell. Melgoza is keen on designs that give the illusion of layering but are actually just one piece; his blazer has a built-in waistcoat, and high-waisted trousers looked like a corset worn over slim pants.
15 December 2010
A ten-day cruise to Sydney, originating in New Zealand, gave Raul Melgoza a prime view of the city's famed opera house at sunset, the harbor in front dotted with boats. The scene inspired him to lighten up for Spring. There was an airborne quality to dresses reminiscent of tufted sails, and the architectural forms of recent collections gave way to dresses cut more fluidly on the bias. Prints were new, too, and playful: A feather print showed up in coral on slate blue pants with a hint of sparkle, and in gold and gray on a long, breezy halter that was just made for dockside cocktails. Also of note were white cotton-burnout shorts. Cut high on the side, they were as roomy as culottes. This dressed-down approach to dressing up was a natural fit for Melgoza. In the past, his rigorous exercises in shape-making have sometimes gotten the better of his cocktail wear, but in these balmier winds, he kept firm control of the helm.
13 September 2010
A trip to New Zealand inspired Raul Melgoza's latest collection, which he described as "tribal, but for everyday wear." That would be everyday wear on the Upper East Side, presumably, not in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Melgoza's ethnic touches, influenced by the country's Maori tribes, were subtle: A gray linen jacquard shift, for example, featured tonal triangle-shaped metallic details running delicately up the sides, while a melon-hued silk dress had a wraparound shawl based on traditional Maori attire. The designer topped things off with a pair of cropped drawstring jackets in navy silk taffeta and yellow suede that were both sporty and polished. It was a pleasing enough collection for the customer who likes a bit of adventure, but doesn't necessarily want to dress too, well, adventurously.
7 June 2010
Raul Melgoza's fourth full collection at the helm of Luca Luca was his most confident and successful to date. Playing with contrasts, both with textures and tailoring—curved seams, for example, on linear shapes—he continued to pursue his architectural agenda.A short, navy tweed jacket with the lacquered finish Melgoza favored this season had an oversize, sculptural collar; the sheen on the nubby fabric gave this day look a luxurious, dressed-up feel. There were many such subtle touches, like the single sequined shoulder on a gray shift. Other fabrics, unfortunately, didn't have quite the same restraint: The leathers were too shiny, and one lacquered-silk skirt looked a bit like a trash bag. Of the three evening dresses that closed the show, the floor-length one in ivory silk with a crossed bodice was strongest. Its gold-encrusted racerback gave it a sexy athleticism that characterizes the best of Melgoza's designs.
13 February 2010
Newish creative director Raul Melgoza has been the force behind much positive change at Luca Luca. The days of Paris Hilton dressed in pastel tweed, preening as the star of a circuslike front row, seem like ancient history. For Spring the designer was taken with the louche Rive Gauche glamour of the seventies. It's not quite one of the decades that's currently trending in the fashion world, but, hey, we can always be convinced. However, Melgoza fell a touch short of making his argument, which didn't offer a clear new way of looking at the reference. Wide-leg jumpsuits and even high-waist trousers had an almost costumey feel, while awkward funnel-neck suits seemed wholly out of place. Dresses in tiered silk and a chiffon animal print were undeniably high points, worn as they were with wild, loose curls and M.C.L.'s kaleidoscopic enamel jewelry, but they didn't fully redeem or refine this seventies show.
10 September 2009
A few seasons in, Raul Melgoza is honing his point of view. The challenge? To honor the brand's history as a favorite of the social set—a go-to label for bright colors and playful cocktail frocks—while ushering in a certain architectural cleanliness to keep things from getting overdone. "Strong in character and feminine in look" is how the designer described the Luca Luca image, and he stuck to an understated palette of charcoal and burgundy with jewel-tone teal now and again. For the most part, the collection was quite refined, with luxurious embellishments, oversize cocktail jewelry, and (a first for Melgoza) fur. One wool-knit vest layered in fox was shown as a belted dress—albeit a short one. The emphasis, though, was on suiting, with the flat-front silk-wool pants that opened the show being one of the most chic options. The sparkle on a few of the evening gowns was reminiscent, unfortunately, of a figure skater's costume, but otherwise the glitz and glitter were downplayed. (The opulent setting, in the Palm Court at the Plaza, more than made up for that.)
15 February 2009
For his first complete collection at the helm of Luca Luca, Raul Melgoza looked more to the future—sometimes in an eightiesBlade Runnerkind of way—than the past, which meant fewer easily wearable pieces than the Luca customer (Ivana Trump, Tinsley Mortimer, et al.) might be used to. Melgoza clearly wants to push the label in a more sportswear-driven direction. That, coupled with the designer's architectural bent, resulted in a sculpted silhouette in a clean, practically all-white palette. In fact, there was nary a print nor embellishment in sight. Vents, panels, and slits—notably, in a lovely liquid-silver gown at the show's end—added interest to basic shapes. A few pretty lunch-to-cocktail dresses had the illusion of being more than one piece, and appeared in places to float off the body. Occasionally, though, Melgoza pushed things too far: Strange, space-age pod shoes gave the girls some trouble—Hye Park went ahead and took hers off—and a few looks fell on the wrong end of the sci-fi spectrum.
7 September 2008
Although Luca Luca's creative director Raul Melgoza referenced classic American sportswear for resort, not all was as it seemed. What looked like traditional seersucker was actually a silk shantung print. And a denim-look coat, made from a luxurious silk/wool blend, would likely not have struck Levi Strauss as traditional work wear. While some of the tailored pieces were overwrought, the summery dresses, like a navy blue number with openwork details and an adjustable collar, captured the ease of the season.
3 June 2008
Fall represented a major shift for Luca Orlandi. He bid adieu to Bryant Park in favor of a small West Chelsea gallery and, instead of a runway show, presented a tight collection of 20 looks. "It's very couture, so we wanted people to see it up close," explained Orlandi's newly installed creative director, Raul Melgoza.Melgoza cited as inspiration artist Ernesto Caivano's exquisite drawings of a medieval love story in which a long-separated couple sends messages through birds. But this is clearly a new day at Luca Luca—the execution almost qualified as subtle, particularly when you consider last Fall's glitzy après-ski fest. The avian and woodland theme appeared in a winglike caped sleeve on a plain silk dress or tiny peacock-feather paillettes embroidered on a satin L.B.D.In all, it was a thoughtfully designed, luxurious collection that hit all the necessary wardrobe points for a lady-who-10022s—i.e., an effortless jersey dress with a draped neck for lunch, a broadtail shift with a sliver of jeweled neckline for cocktails, and a strapless Chantilly lace gown delicately worked with marabou for night. It will be interesting to see how Orlandi's customers adjust to flying under the radar.
3 February 2008
Luca Orlandi looked to the East for pre-fall. Japanese woodblocks influenced the designer's prints, while origami appeared to be the basis of his seaming and draping. Orlandi described the palette—cinnabar and teal cut with steel and cream—as "romantic and nostalgic." A fur-collared double-breasted coat had a whiff of forties glam about it, and a black silk brocade dress trimmed with sable at the neck and sleeves was perfectly suited for an uptown empress.
9 December 2007
Luca Orlandi boarded the translucence train that is currently making all local stops down Seventh Avenue. Organdy and chiffon are everywhere, and Orlandi wanted to explore transparency, too. He was inspired in this endeavor, he said, by the luminous panels of stained glass.The collection was full of body-skimming dresses in gauzy, milky sherbet colors. After an almost blindingly blingy Fall, this lineup was thankfully lower key. Instead of beading, he worked with texture: skinny ruffles snaking down the seams of a chiffon dress or the crocheted silk banding on the waist of a gown. Elsewhere he used subtle embroideries. When he did embellish more boldly, he was in experimental mode. A sea-foam chiffon dress had vertical pleats that played hide-and-seek with the beaded sparkle underneath. Another shift with pleated taffeta squares used the same peekaboo trick.It's well established that the ladies love Luca. The social contingent in this season's front row included Ivanka Trump, Tinsley Mortimer, Bettina Zilkha, and Coralie Charriol Paul. They got what they came for: lovely dresses for lunches at Le Bilboquet and La Goulue. But even his fans might have appreciated a bit more freshness. Aside from the touch of whimsy provided by a scarf print of pearls, there was little here to shake things up when the clock strikes one on Madison Avenue.
9 September 2007
Let's hope that the traveling woman for whom Luca Orlandi created his resort collection has better luck with the weather than the designer had today. After a delay caused by New York's driving rain, models clad in sunglasses took to the runway in summery vacation wear, much of it with a twenties touch, a developing theme of the season. A drop-waisted pleated number had the jaunty ease of a tennis dress that Daisy Buchanan might've worn. Drawstrings, likewise, added a sporty look to clothes.Orlandi said the line was designed for a woman who's "in Rome one day and Osaka the other," but his global mix leaned heavily toward Jackie O. in her Capri days. Jacquard coats looked breezy; the same could not be said, though, of the suits, a number of which were on the matronly side. Still, it's not hard to imagine a sophisticate packing some pleated skirts and cardigan-easy jackets or a cream-colored embroidered evening ensemble into her Goyard luggage before jetting off for (fingers crossed) sunnier climes.
3 June 2007
It's no secret that Luca Orlandi likes to get as much glitz as possible into his front row. Sitting runwayside this season were Petra Nemcova, J.C. Chasez, Amber Tamblyn, Carmen Electra, andThe Hills' Lauren Conrad and Audrina Partridge. Not a bad turnout for an arctic post-Super Bowl Monday afternoon.What's more, Orlandi decided to take that glitz to the runway in a collection so chock-full of metallics that any Luca lover who doesn't like to sparkle will have to find her winter wardrobe elsewhere. The designer worked the idea again and again in all manner of sequins, Lurex, and iridescent silk. Though he mostly played it earthbound, Orlandi occasionally skewed futuristic, as in a liquid silver hooded bodysuit layered under a skirtsuit. The Luca Luca lady is hardly a wallflower, but at times it was a bit of an overload even for her.Reworked fur—an early Fall trend—also made repeat appearances, tiered with chiffon into a skirt, or trimming a sequined dress in stripes. While it may seem luxurious in theory to use fur in such unusual ways, in practice it can be tricky. A chic chocolate sheared-mink-and-crocodile coat showed that restraint might just be the key to making it work. Another relatively plain coat also stood out, this one a winter-white trench with a collar lightly embellished with clear crystal chunks. It proved that you don't always need to shine so brightly to grab someone's attention.
4 February 2007
"This is the most avant-garde collection we've done in terms of silhouette," explained Luca Orlandi before his spring show. The designer has just moved out of a brownstone atelier into stark new headquarters, and he carried the concept of minimalism into his clothes, which were mostly rendered in neat volumes and graphic white and black. Orlandi seemed to be designing for a younger, hipper customer, the kind who is apt to layer strapless dresses over tanks, which is how he presented them today. Label loyalists looking for important evening looks will be disappointed, but you can't fault the man for trying to stretch his wings. It didn't always work—his take on the omnipresent trapeze, a snug Empire married to a fuller skirt, quickly became an overly repetitive trope—but pieces like the sporty linen-and-rayon raincoat that opened the show felt fresh.
10 September 2006
With his smaller-scale show, Luca Orlandi proved that bigger isn't always better. He gave up his usual Sunday night slot in the tent for a 1 o'clock show in the brighter, more intimate, promenade. Why the change? "I wanted less of a party atmosphere, less 'cha, cha, cha,' and more of an emphasis on the clothes," he said. Still, it wouldn't be a Luca Luca show without a front row that inspires a paparazzi frenzy; so Orlandi's audience included Nicky Hilton, Serena Williams, and Rachel Roy—not to mention Miss USA and Miss Universe, both wearing their sashes. The difference was that this time, unlike in seasons past, the festivities did not prevent a punctual start.There was a change on the runway, too. Orlandi likes to do sexy, but this time, the allure was more subtle, more likely to be found in the tight fit of a simple sheath—in gray wool or even a tiger-pattern brocade—than in a plunging neckline. Orlandi said that he wanted to interpret classic American sportswear using the finest European fabrics, and he had some success, but the concept wasn't always a good fit for the Italian designer. A lone polo shirt, for example, looked gratuitous, and you don't need a show for the plainest of tops and skirts, whatever the material. But Orlandi was on form with his dresses, many of which featured intricate and effective smocking details, and the black macramé gown that closed the show was lovely.
6 February 2006
Luca Orlandi, fresh from his wedding to model girlfriend Oluchi Onweagba in St. Bart's, invited guests to a subtropical "fashion journey" tonight. Jamaican music played loudly, and the designer promised playful clothes in Caribbean colors. Many celebrities were happy to join the designer's party, among them Paris Hilton, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Osbourne, Damon Dash and Rachel Roy, the Williams sisters, assorted socialites. But while the flashier attendees texted and waved to each other, significant numbers of press people, who are definitely not on vacation this week, were less than amused to be kept waiting for a late start. The question was: Did Orlandi want to stage a red-carpet-style extravaganza or present a serious collection for critical review?If the audience was spectacular, the clothes were less so. The poufy taffeta dresses, a continuation from the fall show, were overdone. In contrast, there were pretty cotton and lace numbers that had a more natural, summery ease. Romina Lanaro, in a cotton Jacquard top and cardigan worn with full linen pants and flats was the image of casual sophistication. Orlandi's series of strawberry-embroidered cotton voile pieces evoked the sweetness of rural 1950's Italy. The Caribbean items were less successful, overwrought with too many patterns and embellishments. A printed and draped dress could have done without a corsage or beading, for example, and even the deftest hand would have trouble making a mini Liberty-style print live happily with a tropical one. There are pretty clothes to pull from this collection, but for the most part, Orlandi's Fantasy Island could benefit from a dose of reality.
10 September 2005
The days of the glamazon are gone, and the clingy, slit-to-there dresses that Luca Orlandi once served up with relish are now relegated to the back of the closet. Last spring, the designer made a sensitive—and sensible—shift in mood, trading sexy for sweet, and he continued in that vein for fall. Raunch was confined to the soundtrack (and to the front-row presence of Paris and Nicky Hilton), while on the runway, the designer explored variations of skirt-and-sweater dressing.Orlandi sent out well-tailored coats, in beautiful cashmeres and wools, some printed, some colored red or army green. Paired with flat shoes and boots, these showed the designer hitting his stride. Elsewhere, however, his proportions seemed skewed: Wool gauchos were too generously flared, while dresses that were trim on top, ballooned enormously below, for an overall effect that was off-kilter. Orlandi is certainly moving in the right direction, but he's not quite there yet.
5 February 2005
Is Luca Orlandi the new P. Diddy? Maybe not quite—but his spring show certainly qualified as a media circus, packed to the rafters and including his favorite starlets (Mischa Barton, Jessica Simpson). But if the crowd was expecting the forthrightly sexy clothes that have been the focus of Orlandi's past two collections, they came to the wrong show. The only nasty action came via DJ Javier Peral, who played songs like "Diablo," "Dirty, Dirty," and "Money, Money, Money" (the "Bad Ass Strippa" version, no less).For his part, Orlandi delivered a pretty, pastel-colored collection that returned to his roots. The show opened with an innocent bow-tied beige linen jacket; a lovely linen dress with an overlay of lace and ribbon continued the theme. Tweed jackets in Easter egg colors were worn with flowing full pants and finely gauged knits underneath. And heavily, sometimes overly embellished pieces—petal dresses and beaded and embroidered lace skirts—were reminiscent of fifties Italian design. But, as the finale dresses (made of linen dress, polka dot cotton, and white organza) proved, Orlandi's collection was a modern take on sweetness.
11 September 2004
Luca Orlandi said that the guiding spirit for his fall collection was Lara Croft, the danger-loving adventuress ofTomb Raiderfame. And the slithery, revealing looks he sent out for fall certainly seem likely to land their wearer in precarious situations—which she’s clearly equipped to handle, of course.This tough-but-sexy babe dresses primarily in black, although it’s anything but basic: shiny silk satin, fur-trimmed wool, and, naturally, lots of leather. The cut is scuba-suit tight (all the better for sliding out of tight squeezes) and accessorized with ruching, Swarovski crystals, bias ruffles, lacing, and fur. The accessory of choice? A teetery stiletto (which doubles handily as a weapon). Orlandi mixed in some neat wool coats and even a cozy bulky black sweater for days when his heroine is laying low, while the scattering of rose-petal pink dresses are perfect for those moments when a little old-fashioned femininity is called for. For evening, Orlandi sent out high-drama body-hugging gowns that a latter-day Lara will happily sport—especially if it’s on a red carpet.
7 February 2004
On the heels of his all-black winter show, Luca Orlandi fervently embraced femininity and Mediterranean-inspired color for spring. His aim, he said, was "to create the effect of a summer dream," and the music—Love to Love You Babymixed with Vive la Fête and some steamy, heavy-breathing numbers—made it clear exactly what kind of reverie the designer had in mind.Orlandi’s lingerie-inspired collection was worn by bed-headed models who heated up the runway in peach-colored silk satin tops, skirts, and jackets that were ruched, strapped, and corset-laced every which way. (The most interesting variation on the theme was a shrunken cap-sleeved, ruched leather jacket worn by Alek Wek.) There was no shortage of South Beach-ready club wear, from skin-baring, open-backed tops and halters paired with flowing silk pants, to the pajama-style jumpsuits which closed the show. Orlandi also nodded to the goddess look, offering long jersey dresses like a one-shouldered piece worn by Oluchi. For those who like it hot (the audience included T-Boz, Seal, Tweet, Ingrid Casares, Garcelle Beauvais, Roberto Cavalli, and Anthony Kiedis) there was plenty to applaud.
13 September 2003
A sheared fur-enveloped Ivana Trump was prominently seated in the front row at Luca Luca, as if to sum up the spirit of the collection, which consisted mostly of flashy zebra prints, formfitting black-, orange- and white-leather ensembles, and heavily beaded eveningwear. Texture came in the form of white rabbit jackets, black pleatherette suits and a turquoise alpaca coat. For anyone in need of a little extra oomph, there were also plenty of sequined cow-print skirts and overcoats, royal-blue sequined bustiers and shantung pants.
5 February 2000