Lucio Vanotti (Q3226)
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Lucio Vanotti is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Lucio Vanotti |
Lucio Vanotti is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Masculine fragility and vulnerability aren’t really qualities that come to mind where hip hop and street style are concerned—even if fashion has drained them of their original radical and contrarian attitudes. Yet for Lucio Vanotti there’s a sweet spot somewhere in their spirits which he tried to capture in his men’s collection; he has his own peculiar romantic streak.As romantic as he can be, Vanotti has a penchant for exactitude and rigor; his design is based on geometrical restraint and is almost severe in its approach. Yet this season a lo-fi attitude smoothed the mathematical sobriety. It was suggested by the use of feminine shades of lilac and lavender, inducing a sense of chromatic emotion, as he explained. They contrasted with more robust shades of saturated reds and Klein blue, as in Masai-inspired checkered knitted sweats and wraps which, paired with baggy cargo pants in micro-motifs, introduced a textural flair. “I wanted to convey a sense of ease and freedom,” explained the designer. “The Masai are nomadic elegant warriors; clothes for me should be like soft protective armors cocooning the body.”Vanotti put the collection through a smooth filter; the sporty inspiration was low-tech and emotional rather than aggressively active or hyper-techno, more languid loungewear than performance driven. “ My tracksuits are almost like pajamas!” he remarked. Even his take on tailoring was light-handed and delicately deconstructed. “ I’d like to bring back elegance in daywear while keeping a dynamic attitude,” he mused. “We definitely need a bit more subtlety and charm.”
21 June 2018
For his Fall collection, Lucio Vanotti worked on the idea of uniforms, a concept that fascinates designers with a penchant for a rigorous streak. Backstage before the show, he explained how he wanted to blend their severe utility with a sense of elegance and refinement; let’s say, he succeeded. Vanotti is proving to be a consistent designer, who, season after season, is meticulously refining his aesthetic. His calm sense of purpose would make many other young designers jealous.While staying true to his rational, almost mathematical approach, he infused the collection with a few eclectic references, like hip-hop, postmodernism, and new wave. On his mood board, the eccentric design of Ettore Sottsass featured prominently alongside images of couture silhouettes. “I’ve mixed and then filtered the ’80s, the ’90s, and a bit of the ’50s,” he explained. The resulting blend was a cohesive collection; the edges of the severe purity the designer favors felt smoothed and more relaxed.Color also played a part in giving the collection a fresh energy, as in an oversize nylon anorak in a bright shade of fuchsia paired with a short skirt, or in a classic sporty bomber in vivid royal blue, its proportions stretched and elongated. It conveyed a modern, elegant vibe. As always with Vanotti, the gender conversation was at play here. The men’s collection had the same streamlined allure, built around neat shapes and reconfigured with a confident attitude.
22 February 2018
Backstage before his show, Lucio Vanotti was expounding on the collection’s references while standing in front of a very carefully edited, meticulously crafted mood board. Sparse images of conceptual, tactile sculptures by Barbara Hepworth (whose work has been mined recently by more than one designer), as well as of Brancusi’s polished and esoteric objets d’art, were plastered alongside pictures of British teddy girls and boys from the 1950s in repurposed Victorian crinolines. In deceitful contradiction, references to American designer Claire McCardell were actually a nod to a sophisticated sense of practicality. It was a testament to Vanotti’s style evolution, which has taken on a more considered approach. While keeping firmly in place his minimalistic aesthetic and his fondness for a play on deconstructed volumes, for Spring he seemed to gravitate toward a wider range of options, infusing silhouettes with a gentler, softer, more feminine vibe.“I like the purest lines, deconstructed into balanced asymmetry,” he explained. He named the collection A Like Asymmetry—a title a bit cryptic, perhaps, yet it conveyed his feel for a spirit of free experimentation. But Vanotti can only let loose up to a certain point—he has an ingrained demure vision, a kind of minimalistic sotto voce that keeps him in check; he cannot be easily lured into loud, noisy territory. Yet volumes, layering, and proportions looked elaborate but effortless—they were permeated with a fluid sense of movement.Masculine tailoring always features strongly in Vanotti’s designs. Here, it was injected with an effortless flair, as in pantsuits that looked relaxed as well as inventive. Shirting was a winning point; masculine shirts in striped crisp poplin were morphed into layered apron dresses or into abbreviated shirtdresses with juxtaposed ruched bustiers. Seductive flairs—even a touch of gold, unusual by Vanotti’s standards—were discreetly yet assertively displayed, as in a flowing plissé bustier dress worn with a matching lamé top. Red carpet–Vanotti, perhaps? Whatever. It looked great. The designer’s reach can definitely stretch well beyond the boundaries of stark, strict minimalism.
22 September 2017
Lucio Vanotti started his own label in 2012 but had to thank Giorgio Armani for his breakthrough in 2016, when he staged the Fall menswear show at Teatro Armani. It was a fitting frame for his style, whose purity of lines and almost severe minimalism resonate with the Italian maestro’s aesthetic.Vanotti can be credited with a natural early approach to genderless codes; his gentle austerity, the absence of decoration, and the lean, essential shapes that he favors—pared down and almost archetypal—can easily apply to a flexible wardrobe appealing to both sexes. His Fall womenswear collection played along the same lines, with a delicate nod to a softer, more sensual allure.“I love to simplify. There’s way too much information around,” he explained after the show. “I feel a need for more breathing space. Sometimes, a heavily decorated dress detracts the attention from a face. You’re almost ‘worn’ by the outfit, while it should be the other way around,” he said. The designer definitely kept his focus on emphasizing reduction more than addition. Referring to loungewear and the relaxed, cozy, private feel one experiences at home as an inspiration, he added a touch of intimate, tactile flair to his otherwise stark precision.Protective shapes as capes and blankets were wrapped around the body, merging with more masculine-inspired iterations of blazers and elongated coats. Fluid long tunics were built around a play on asymmetry or draping, and delicate nude colors added a sense of restrained fragility. Vanotti’s signature style is rational and strict, sometimes bordering on the severe. It was nice to see his more spontaneous, poetic side peeking through this collection.
25 February 2017