Luisa Beccaria (Q3233)
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Luisa Beccaria is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Luisa Beccaria |
Luisa Beccaria is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Luisa Beccaria’s presentation was a family affair, helden plein airat Milan’s Villa Reale, a fitting venue for such a personal showcase. LùBar—the charming café in the palazzo’s outdoor courtyard—was launched and managed by Ludovico Bonaccorsi, one of Luisa’s five children. Aptly titled Togetherness, the collection highlighted the significance of familial bonds and the joy of shared celebrations, as noted by Lucilla Bonaccorsi, who collaborates creatively on the collection alongside her mother. Models strolled among the guests, who indulged in sweets and cappuccinos in a relaxed atmosphere.The collection stayed true to Beccaria’s familiar repertoire of romantic, delicate dresses. Adding a touch of variety to the largely occasion-focused lineup were a series of charming earth-tone cotton Vichy sundresses with long circle skirts and heart-shaped bodices, alongside playful beachside ensembles, featuring linen shorts with crochet embroidery paired with frilly bralettes and breezy chemises printed with dainty florals.For more dressy occasions, the Beccarias delivered the belle-of-the-ball looks they’re known for. Ethereal gowns in soft pink and cerulean organza were complemented by shimmering sequins, lace and laminated fabrics, rendered into enchanting dresses. If you’ve ever imagined becoming a fairy-tale princess, the Beccarias seem to have the magic to turn that fantasy into reality—if only for the time of a ball.
19 September 2024
Luisa Beccaria and her daughter Lucilla love the feel of en plein air. The Sicilian family estate which they often retreat to, Feudo del Castelluccio, offers plenty of bucolic situations to enjoy. You only need a fresh cotton sundress to be well turned out for long promenades to the sea or to entertain guests alfresco under almond trees. Resort featured a variety of delightful options crafted in what the mother-daughter duo called “a natural, honest fabric, inspired by the traditional peasant way of dressing to keep cool in the summer heat.”Lightweight cotton was given a twist with Vichy inserts and contrasting piping in a series of shirtdresses, jumpsuits with crisscrossed bodices, or bustiers with pouf sleeves worn with ankle-grazing circle skirts—some printed in tiny floral bouquets in the cerulean tones the Beccarias favor. As an alternative for more dressy occasions, slender tunics with matching boleros were richly embroidered in bronze sequins with floral appliqués. Tulle was overprinted with a sequined tone-on-tone grid on a feminine ’50s bustier dress with a full skirt cinched at the waist.The Beccarias are partial to a flattering style that’s both romantic and practical. Fabrics are often stretchy to make clothes comfortable to move in and crease-free when packed. They’re often seasonless and adaptable to different occasions. “Running our family business makes our lives busy, and our customers have an equally active lifestyle,” they said. “We love to look at the clouds in the sky or be inspired by the colors of our beloved Sicilian sea, but as much as we’re dreamers at heart, we’ve got to be pragmatic and grounded.”
26 June 2024
The entire Beccaria-Bonaccorsi family greeted guests at the fall presentation held at Officine LùBar, a vast creative hub that is part of their growing hospitality business. Already comprising a successful café and a restaurant launched by Ludovico, one of the five Beccaria siblings, it’s set to be further expanded in the future. Entrepreneurial spirit is clearly in the (blue) blood of the tight-knitted clan.Lively young beauties swathed in a variety of romantic frocks meandered between tables set up with vases of wildflowers, while interactive videos by visual artist Florencia S.M. Brück were projected onto walls, replicating the collection’s floral motifs morphed into urban landscapes. Riffing on their bohemian repertoire and drawing inspiration from a lifestyle that alternates work in the city with time spent in the countryside, Luisa and Lucilla played with colors and textures inspired by nature, while daywear was given a pragmatic, efficient spin, without straying from whimsy.Masculine herringbone coats were lined in silk chiffon; quilted puffers looked delightful printed with tiny rosebuds. Straight-leg corduroy pantsuits had a cool 1970s vibe, while romantic capes fit for Alpine escapades could be a handsome alternative to sporty city coats. The Beccarias believe that “luxury is a concept we’re not really keen on embracing, as it has become corporate and homogenized,” they said. Their customers belong to an all-ages group, and often pass their Beccaria gowns to their teenage daughters: “They’re independent women dedicated to their careers and families, who want special pieces with a hint of transporting romance,” said the designers. “Dreams are the ultimate luxury.”
23 February 2024
Spring is a season that fits Luisa Beccaria’s penchant for airy, light dresses that seem to bloom from English gardens. Surely they fit the lifestyle of her friends and clients, who actually own English gardens. Or castles, manors and palazzos that have seen generations of women dressed in the ethereal frocks she creates with daughter Lucilla. For women who are not that lucky, the Beccarias provide the dream of living in such fantastical places just by wearing one of their floaty dresses. If fashion is a way to be transported into the beautiful illusion of being someone else if only for a moment, then the Beccarias can make any woman feel like a romantic aristocrat.This collection was staged as an intimate performance in the label’s showroom, where a string trio of Beccaria-clad young musicians performed classical tunes as guests moved around baskets of flowers. “We wanted to capture the energy of nature, add some vitality and intensity to our ethereal creations,” said Lucilla. To that end, abstract florals hand-painted in vivid colors were printed on chiffon ruffled dresses or cotton sundresses, making for an eye-catching alternative to the usually delicate tones the Beccarias are partial to. Luminous touches—frocks in liquid sequins, glitter appliquéd on macramé—also added variety, as well as slimmer, younger and shorter silhouettes in pops of colors contrasting with more classic billowy concoctions. Opening up to more range and daring to inject novelty into the collections would be a good way of going forward for the Beccarias, without detracting from their consistent, protected universe.
22 September 2023
Luisa Beccaria’s resort lookbook was shot at Feudo del Castelluccio, her family’s mansion in Sicily. It’s a vast countryside property that extends to the coast, joining the natural oasis of Vendicari, an untouched paradise of beaches and lagoons where pink flamingos migrate every year. Even for the usually high standards of Italian natural beauty, this is a rare, enchanting place.The hospitable Beccaria clan welcomes guests all year round, yet summer is one of the best seasons to spend time at Castelluccio. Nature is in full bloom; dawns and sunsets boast sumptuous displays of colors. The collection’s palette of pale blues, soft oranges, and gradients of pink was inspired by the surroundings, and they make an idyllic frame for Beccaria’s whimsical creations.The silhouettes convey freshness and ease. Long shirtdresses are rendered in crisp striped poplin, and sweeping chiffon dresses in patchworked tiers of delicate microflorals look straight out of a James Ivory movie. Slender evening numbers in sequined gradients, painted directly onto fabric surfaces to achieve a liquid effect, have a bohemian ’70s vibe, while short baby-dolls in powdery dégradé georgettes suggest a chic ingénue attitude. These are occasion dresses with a young, romantic feel for weddings, garden parties, and receptions of all kinds. Lucilla Beccaria, Luisa’s daughter, said, “there are so many ways to celebrate life; we’d like to give women moments of fantasy and joy. A beautiful dreamy dress is transporting.”
28 June 2023
Luisa and Lucilla Beccaria received guests in their showroom, where fall was presented on models walking through screens veiled in yards of tulle. Adding to the whimsical atmosphere, two musicians played romantic rhapsodies on flute while accompanying the arias of an opera singer.Despite the romantic set up, Luisa and daughter Lucilla’s repertoire of frothy numbers was gently toughened up with a more consistent daywear proposal. Seasons are unpredictable, and the variety of customers’ preferences and latitudes dictated a widening of the offer; for the Beccarias, versatility has become the name of the game. Without steering from their formula, they played with styling, layering airy chiffon dresses printed with delicate florals over matching leggings and stretchy turtlenecks, or under cropped quilted puffers in silky nylon.The young generation of Beccarias was surely instrumental in giving the collection a fresher, cooler spin. Printed hooded bombers, quilted sleeveless piuminos, balaclavas, oversized tailored jackets, and maxi coats in fuzzy mohair were offered to warm up the pleated and ruffled shirt dresses worn underneath, which also came in shorter versions, together with miniskirts and flared trousers paired with tunics cinched at the waist. Colors with a deeper vibe, like moss green or crimson, were added to the delicate gradient palette of pale blues the designers favor. Inspired this season by the cold beauty of winter skies, they gave the collection lightness and transparency. Holding onto a sense of romance while keeping an eye on today’s need for practicality is certainly a smart way to go for the Beccarias.
24 February 2023
Luisa Beccaria’s spring collection was framed within a whimsical set of delicately hand-painted sheer screens, created by British polymath Patrick Kinmonth. The shapes alluded to the undulating motion of waves, as the sea, marine creatures, and mermaids were the season’s main inspirations.Spring and summer are the best times to delight in Luisa Beccaria’s romantic dresses, offered in liquid shades of cerulean blue and tender green. They’re perfect for evenings spent at garden parties and languid dinners à deux under a full moon, as well as for going about town clad in a breezy cotton dress or for hitting the beach just veiled by an inconspicuous cover-up in floral-print silk chiffon.Luisa never wavers from her aesthetic, deeply rooted in her lifestyle— and its authenticity is a recipe for longevity. There’s nothing in what she and daughter Lucilla bring about that doesn’t align with the ingrained sense of beauty shared by their circle of friends and clients. Her creations are seductive because of their timeless grace, which doesn’t bend to trends; they age extremely well in a wardrobe. If you see yourself as a charming nymph swathed in ethereal, light-as-a-whisper frocks, no matter your date of birth, the Beccarias have you addicted to their magic potion for life.
25 September 2022
To collaborate on her collections, Luisa Beccaria likes to involve not only her family but also her many friends; openness and hospitality is part of her lifestyle. For fall. she worked with three young female creatives, all part of her sons’ and daughters’ social circle. Artist Sofia Cacciapaglia provided the location for the lookbook, shot in her studio against artworks depicting a whimsical abstract garden on recycled paper boxes; the collection’s short movie was directed by Amaranta Medri; and musician Emmanuelle did the soundtrack.The collection riffed on Beccaria’s familiar repertoire, which has remained consistent throughout her career. She has never wavered from what makes her style unique—a poetic, romantic, archetypal idea of femininity, which she has updated and expanded into a versatile, modern translation. Following in her footsteps, her daughter Lucilla is the embodiment of a younger version of her mother’s persevering style.To make the dreamy, flimsy floral dresses suitable for colder seasons, the Beccarias played with layering, offering little coats in matching trompe-l’oeil patterns or fluffy mohair jumpers and cardis knitted with tapestry motifs. Miniskirts worn with printed leggings would look adorable on the Beccarias’ younger customers. A series of embroidered shearling jackets in powdery hues was also a nice proposition, made in collaboration with the atelier of Clemente Tivioli, son of the late furrier Carlo Tivioli, who works with recycled or upcycled leathers.Taking a plunge into their archive, the designers revisited the dresses worn in the past by Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie. Revived without nostalgia, they’ll look fresh on a new generation of celebrities, willing to embrace a less obvious, charming look.
26 February 2022
Luisa Beccaria’s ongoing love affair with Capri, where she recently opened a temporary shop in the famous piazzetta, was still in full swing for spring. The collection’s video and look book were shot in some of the island’s less traveled locations, whose access is restricted to locals and to people like Beccaria and daughter Lucilla, who know the so-called Island of Love like the back of their hand. They couldn’t have chosen a more romantic (and photogenic) backdrop for their breezy, whimsical creations.Even if fashion’s post-pandemic mode is steering toward the über-sexy, the mother-daughter duo is sticking to their guns; they’ve never worried about passing trends. Their designs are as dreamy and graceful as they are eminently wearable—no wonder their audience is broad. “I don’t dress nymphs or mermaids but real women, with real bodies and dynamic lifestyles,” said Luisa, who has been kept busy by a blooming post-pandemic wedding season. “There’s a desire to look at the future with renewed energy—planning a life together seems like such a beautiful project,” chimed in Lucilla.The Beccaria customers—beachgoers and brides-to-be alike—will find plenty to love in the spring offering: from hot pants and matching brassieres in pretty florals or broderie anglaise for sunbathing at Capri’s La Fontelina to sweeping romantic numbers in tiered chiffon printed with lilac bouquets, perfect for a maid of honor at a BFF’s wedding. Worn by a cast of Neapolitan beauties, the collection read as a subtly updated and versatile version of all the label’s greatest hits. “It’s Beccaria 24/7,” joked Luisa.
23 September 2021
Luisa Beccaria has spent summer holidays in Capri since she was a child. “I know all the hidden charms of this quite magical place,” she said over the phone. Making her ties with the Blue Island even stronger, she recently opened a shop near its famous piazzetta; the couture collection is intended as a further homage to this place of the heart.Taking cue from Capri’s palette of natural hues— the blue of the sky and the sea; the pink of the sunsets over Faraglioni—romantic ballgowns were a triumph of undulating ruffles and fringes in raw-cut tulle, replicating the reflections on the moon on the water. Elsewhere, scrub flowers mimicking the many scented varieties bordering the Via Krupp’s verdant promenade were appliquéd in 3D on the bodice of ethereal numbers in chiffon. Most of the fabrications and embroideries were upcycled and reassembled from old collections, as Beccaria and her daughter Lucilla believe that their past repertoire is a trove for no-waste, responsible haute creations.Working with the traditional Caprese goldsmith Chanteclair, established on the island in 1947, the Beccarias designed delicate jewelry pieces in gold and precious stones, nicely complementing their dreamy concoctions. Luisa isn’t new to involving the island’s artisans in collaborations; she had her first fashion pieces—a few mohair jumpers and matching silk cropped capri pants, typical of the style of the island—made by Anacapri craftsmen when she was still a teenager.With international tourism slowly resuming, the Beccarias are confident that their beloved island will soon become a favorite destination again. The centuries-old culture of hospitality on Capri is legendary. “Foreigners were thought to be messengers of the gods, explorers of the unknown, and thus revered,” she explained. “It’s such a bewitching place, you don’t need to build ephemeral structures or launch preposterous events. The vibe here is naturally magnetic. I’ve never suffered from bad-mood syndrome when in Capri.”
19 July 2021
The blue-eyed Bonaccorsi-Beccaria clan could easily be cast for aBridgertonsequel; their bohemian, high-class lifestyle would certainly be fodder for Lady Whistledown’s writing. An old family home in the Lombardy countryside provided the set for their label’s fall video; Luisa and her five children, plus two beautiful guests, decamped there to luxuriate in leisurely activities—horseback riding; long walks in hazy winter fields; leafing through antique herbariums; dancing at night in the drawing room, lit by a fire. Seen from their perspective, quarantine doesn’t look so unbearable.CalledEmbrace,the film hinted at the desire for nature, proximity, romance, and warmth as a symbol of inclusive generosity and also an obvious IRL practical necessity. Protective tweed greatcoats with embroidered lapels and quilted parkas in eau-de-Nil satin were added to the label’s repertoire of ethereal dresses. Long, flowing wool capes were layered over soft cable-knit cardis and ruffled chiffon numbers in beautiful florals. Pretty printed turtlenecks with matching stockings and leggings turned tiered-tulle evening dresses, fit for the “diamond of the season,” into sensible daywear options.Although their old-world charm could make them look like Whistledown’s darlings, Luisa and Lucilla Beccaria’s concerns are practical. Over Zoom from their showroom in Milan, they stressed the importance of living a sustainable life as close to nature as possible but also keeping their business focused on reducing waste and acting responsibly. “For fall we upcycled fabrications and also reedited old patterns and shapes, dresses we made 15 years ago that we still like and wear,” they said. “We need a more considerate approach to everything we do, but most of all we need respect for nature, humanity, and kindness.”
27 February 2021
Luisa Beccaria’s spring collection was presented with a short movie, shot during lockdown by artist and filmmaker Lola Montes Schnabel at Feudo del Castelluccio, Beccaria’s family estate in Sicily. CalledKnow Thyself,it’s a celebration of the designer’s IRL lifestyle, which could actually inspire a remake ofThe Leopard,Luchino Visconti’s 1963 movie, a dramatic yet visually exquisite portrait of the aristocratic milieu in mid-19th-century Sicily. Even if not exactly Viscontian, Schnabel captured the romance and decadent charm of Beccaria’s country life, which she shares with a stylish bohemian tribe of children, relatives, and friends.The collection’s look book was shot during the filming of Schnabel’s short movie, depicting in a series of vignettes of what actually happened in a pastoral yet intensely social summer season at Castelluccio. Swathed in Beccaria’s flimsy floral concoctions, her daughters are seen going about their daily chores: baking bread, making almond milk from the organic almonds grown on the estate, and cooking with the olive oil produced by Luisa’s husband, Don Lucio Bonaccorsi. Even the designer’s 90-year-old mother makes a cameo, presiding over elegant candlelit gatherings and reciting poignant poems by Emily Dickinson. As the saying goes, the family that eats together stays together.“What we wanted to express through these images is how much family values are important to us,” said Luisa, with her daughter and collaborator Lucilla by her side, at a showroom appointment. “And the respect we feel for the earth, for what nature gives us so generously. How much we cherish a life of simple pleasures and beauty.”Beccaria’s style has a consistent timeless quality: “We don’t do ‘new’ for the sake of it,” she said. Indeed, her dresses don’t really go out of style, as they’re quintessentially feminine in their flattering yet rather simple design. Her mother looked ravishing in one of the long, loose-fitting white poplin dresses with scalloped florals embroidered in delicate colors. And her young nieces are just as lovely in practical striped cotton dresses and flowing, almost immaterial chiffon numbers the color of liquid Sicilian skies.In the look book, pieces from different collections and seasons are mixed together freely. “Our repertoire is ageless, seasonless, timeless,” said Lucilla. “Knowing thyself means being aware of your uniqueness,” chimed Luisa. True. Style is nothing without substance.
25 September 2020
On Instagram, Lucilla Beccaria and her sisters Lucrezia and Luna posted a short video they filmed while quarantined at their grandmother’s country house. Called “Live The Simple Life,” it depicted the girls leisurely playing backgammon in the garden, watering plants and vegetables, collecting the linens hung out to dry in the sun. It looked a bit like an Italian lockdown version ofLittle Women.“Our family life became even more important during the confinement,” said Lucilla during a showroom appointment. “We are a big tight-knit clan; we’ve always believed in true values. Authenticity, the respect for nature and what comes from the earth, the love for what our country has to offer to the world.”\Archives have become an important asset for designers in confinement; reflecting on one’s history has been a shared mindset in the fashion community to propel creativity forward, as well as an opportunity to trigger a more mindful approach to design. “Pieces from the archive should be labeled with their date of birth, as are artworks from painters or sculptors,” said Luisa Beccaria on the phone from her home in Sicily, where she spent the lockdown. “They’re full of memories and are custodians of time. As creatives, we should treasure them and celebrate the hard work and the people—the artisans, the makers—who’ve brought them to life.”\The Beccarias put their archive to good use for an edited resort collection, repurposing and upcycling a series of beautiful fabrics—chiffons, broderie anglaises, floral gazars. Their romantic best-ofs were refreshed with a lighter everyday touch; comfort and ease were added to the graceful silhouettes they favor, as in an ankle-grazing wrap dress in baby blue striped cotton-stretch. It looked suitable for both a bicycle run to the local organic market and a country party. A one-piece printed bathing suit could moonlight as an evening top via two flowing matching silk scarves tied at the straps.\Bouquets of wildflowers were printed on delicate flimsy dresses: “Now more than ever, nature is so comforting; it has always been part of our family life,” said Luisa. Their Sicilian estate, called Feudo di Castelluccio, has produced almonds and olive oil for generations: “Our brand and our lifestyle are elegant, but they’re basically simple, very close to the values that really matter. We cherish domestic rituals and all the poetry that goes into keeping them alive,” she said.
“Brands have to express honesty and consistency in order to be meaningful—and to survive.”
31 July 2020
Luisa Beccaria and daughter Lucilla hosted an intimate fall presentation in the romantic atmosphere of LùBar, Ludovico Bonaccorsi’s plant-filled café. Ludovico is one of Luisa’s five children, who were all variously involved in staging the event. Yet it’s Lucilla who’s now carrying the fashion baton: “We imagined a dreamy winter garden,” she said, surrounded by a posse ofjeunes filles en fleurwearing—what else?—long, flimsy floral dresses in every imaginable pastel hue of dusty pink and powdery blue. Thefilles fleurswere sitting properly in delightfultableaux vivants, or were delicately lounging on iron garden banquettes, upholstered with floral percale cottons matching their dresses. They looked like they were straight out of a Lawrence Alma-Tadema painting.Beccaria’s dresses are in a class of their own; few other designers do occasion dressing with the same light-handed romantic flair as she does. This season, the mother-daughter duo added a dash of eccentricity to the airy flavor of their concoctions. They had every floral dress—which came in the flimsiest chiffons, tulle, or organzas—worn over a stretchy long-sleeve turtleneck, with stockings and thigh-high boots all matching in allover-printed contrasting micro-florals. The effect was charming and felt modern. Floral motifs were also printed on high-waist denim pants; Lucilla paired them with a delicate ruched blouse and matching booties to take a well-deserved bow with her mother.
20 February 2020
For her couture presentation, Luisa Beccaria opened the doors of her Milanese townhouse, a peaceful oasis painted in the delicate pastel tones of cerulean and aqua she favors, where she lives with her similarly blue-eyed tribe of five children. The look book was also a family affair, shot in the apartment with her daughters Luna and Lucrezia modeling the ethereal dresses she designs together with her daughter Lucilla.The images were reminiscent of Boldini paintings’ elegant grace; the dresses exuded the same romantic flair. Clouds of lavender tulle were worked in tiny ruffles on hexagonal or circular patterns, giving shape to voluminous bustier evening gowns with an Old World charm; layers of pastel-hued chiffon were draped into goddess-like flowing dresses, with a light sensuality about them. A silk georgette tunic was called “The Angel” for its billowing wing-like cape sleeves.More structured shapes were instead cut from smooth silk duchesse, like a sumptuous ballgown in pale gold embroidered with delicate details. Yet despite the air of romance induced by such dreamy concoctions, Beccaria’s clientele is young and modern. Who wouldn’t want to feel like a beauty out of a John Singer Sargent tableau, even if only for one night, ditching the track pants and sweats?
29 January 2020
Luisa Beccaria never strays from the romantic style she favors. Moodboards and passing trends aren’t her thing; she rarely references past decades or muses. Her idea of femininity has always been almost an archetype (or shall we say a stereotype, perhaps?) of exquisite beauty: magical, ethereal, a version of feminine power which is deceptively fragile. Every woman knows that we are warriors in disguise.Beccaria herself is a warrior. Do not be fooled by the flimsy pastels she wears even to run errands. She has a steely willpower; to rule over her army of sons and daughters (five in total) you need the determination of a commander in chief. Having been courted to sell her company, she’s remained fiercely independent. It’s difficult to imagine her obeying someone else’s orders.For pre-fall, Beccaria riffed on her evergreens: Delightful dresses in luscious stretch velvet and airy chiffon in every shade of pale blue imaginable. They came delicately detailed: with flounces at the hem and sleeves; with plissé skirts opening like flowers; with pussy-bow blouses worn underneath sleeves pinafores. A daywear offer rounded out the collection. Little fitted coats with velvet collars were cut like the ones that Milanese mums have custom-made by family tailors for their spoiled little girls. Beccaria paired them with pencil skirts and knitted waistcoats, with floral chiffon numbers, or with matching day dresses. Fashion’s ubiquitous masculine pantsuit seemed fit for a pretty doll, in a micro-floral stretch fabric with a short shapely jacket and narrow pants. Breaking the uninterrupted flow of ceruleans, lavenders, and baby blues, a red floral print came as a welcome respite, activating the color palette with a more energized, spirited feel.
20 January 2020
Who says that shows in Milan aren’t entertaining enough? Luisa Beccaria rose to the challenge for her Spring collection, staging a game of badminton in the city’s Palazzo Reale courtyard, transformed for the occasion into a lush manicured lawn fit for an English country manor. Models seemed to enjoy playing in the sun, hitting the shuttlecock with thin, elegant rackets; in pure Beccaria fashion, the net was made not with ordinary rope, but handmade white crocheted lace. “It’s like what happens in real life,” mused Beccaria. “You try always to hit the ball, sending it back to the other player.”Beccaria and daughter Lucilla have to be given credit for a consistent vision, which encompasses not only fashion but also their entire lifestyle. They are the best ambassadors for their label, living the kind of life their dresses are made for. Yet behind their dreamy, ethereal concoctions of tulle, fil coupe, and embroidered organza, there’s a lot of care and hard work. And life isn’t just an endless series of garden parties, debutante balls, and royal weddings, for which they design sensational numbers of exquisite allure. Their collections also offer more sensible daywear options, obviously filtered through the Beccarias’ romantic lens. For Spring, there were fresh, short scalloped dresses in broderie anglaise; prim pleated skirts in practical stretch cotton; and little sundresses with ruffled skirts in crisp poplin, cut in roomy yet feminine shapes that could fit diverse body types. “We dress mothers and daughters, different generations,” said Lucilla. “Our creations are beautifully age-friendly.” Diversity was also an issue the designers addressed head-on this season, casting fresh-faced models of various ethnicities, who all looked ravishing in their creations. It made for a joyous celebration of modern feminine grace.
19 September 2019
For her couture presentation, Luisa Beccaria chose a phantasmagorically charming hôtel particulier, the 18th-century Hôtel de Gesvres, replete with so much extraordinary antique furniture it would make aWorld of Interiorsspread look bare in comparison. In the dimly lit grand entrance, the wedding gown Beccaria recently designed for Lady Gabriella Kingston (née Windsor) was displayed in its exquisite glory. The ravishing Ella, as she is known—tall, blonde, and looking like a character in a fairy tale—was on hand to support her friend Luisa and daughter Lucilla, waxing lyrical about their talent: “I have huge admiration for them. I love wearing their creations; the fusion of vintage and modern, of feminine and strong, is very unique,” she said.Beccaria named the collection the Alchemy of Lightness; it was indeed ethereal and enchanting, with a delicate, subtle palette of faded blues, pinks, and lilacs gracing impalpable evening concoctions of silk tulle, wispy organza, and finely embroidered mousseline. Moving about the salons, the models looked like translucent nymphs in a dream of romantic,féeriquedecadence.Yet Beccaria’s creations, as dreamy and fragile as they can appear, are made for modern times. Shapes were kept pure and fairly simple, and the fabrications’ lightness added a sense of breezy ease of movement. The Beccarias are women designing for women: Sometimes it just makes the difference.
3 July 2019
What would be the lifetime achievement for a designer whose career has been spent providing the international aristocratic set with pastel-hued dresses for the Ascot races, ethereal floral numbers for garden parties at country châteaus, and billowy evening dresses for debutante balls?Ça va sans dire.The dream would be to design the wedding dress for a royal bride. For Luisa Beccaria, this dream came true this May, when Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin once removed, married her Prince Charming at St. George’s Chapel, wearing a gown of blush-embroidered lace with the skirt fanning out in a long train, concocted by the Milanese designer and her daughter Lucilla.Throughout the years, Beccaria has been faithful to her romantic style; even when the world has inexorably swirled around a smorgasbord of sweatshirts, tracksuits, and hoodies, she has never strayed from her florals, her pale blues, and her laces and organzas. But being the smart businesswoman that she is, she has expanded her options to include more daywear and more forgiving silhouettes to accommodate different body types. Mothers and daughters shop together for her creations, and her fan base is younger than ever. The Resort collection was full of dresses that could work not only for a chic fetechampêtreor a posh cocktail party, but also for a working meeting in the city. Take, for instance, a tiered midi dress in crisp pale blue cotton printed in delicate florals; a flounced floral jacquard frock in a vibrant shade of turquoise with ruched bell sleeves; and a circle skirt with three-dimensional embroidered blooms, paired with a masculine shirt in micro-floral printed chiffon. None of them would look out of place at the office, if paired with flats, espadrilles, or a pair of sneakers.That said, Beccaria’s style is at its most resplendent when she’s designing for elegant soirées and receptions with a sense of occasion. Resort offered plenty of choices in embroidered lace, layered tulle, macramé, and wispy organza. A standout was a floor-sweeping cape dress in finely pleated tulle in hues of cerulean and forget-me-not; it looked modern yet fit for a princess.
24 June 2019
Luisa Beccaria staged her first haute couture show in over two decades last month at the Salon César in the Paris Ritz. Maybe that’s why the ready-to-wear she presented for Fall was more focused than usual on day clothes. Those graceful, long dresses having had their debuts, this was a chance to expand her repertoire beyond weddings, red carpets, and other one-off events.The designer, who works with her daughter Lucilla on the collection, opened with a peacock blue faux-fur coat and matching jeweled hat worn over a shirtdress in a floral print that conjured Claude Monet’s Giverny. These were day clothes, but in the same romantic spirit as the occasion dresses Beccaria has long specialized in. She cut a pantsuit in a gray-green tartan, and though the pants were hip-slung and straight, the jacket had puffed sleeves, and it topped a pussy bow blouse. The results were sweet, not strict, a sensibility accentuated by the tiny flowers embroidered on a pair of tartan coats. From a distance, those little blooms looked like snow. There were also charming mohair sweaters shown belted over wispy skirts and knee-high suede boots.Of course, Beccaria didn’t ignore special occasion dresses altogether. The prettiest of the bunch was in a pale shade of blush with a print of hand-painted flowers. One caveat: Beccaria lavishes great care on her delicate confections; in a world of mass-produced stuff they seem made with intention. Certainly, they’re worthy of a more evocative setting than today’s show venue.
21 February 2019
Luisa Beccaria’s signature ethereal style doesn’t seem fit for chilly winters. There’s no wandering about Gstaad swathed in pale chiffons, not even if you’re a débutante ready to die of hypothermia for fashion. Yet her young customers lead active, dynamic lives. In winter they don’t hibernate; they need warm, comforting clothes like the rest of us. So for Pre-Fall, Beccaria worked on an expanded offering of cozy daywear and outerwear, without straying too far from the dreamy mood she favors.Chic little coats in blue checkered tweed were cut trapeze-shaped and slightly retro, paired with matching ankle-grazing skirts and floral-printed organza blouses for a touch of whimsy. A pink tweed city coat with a stitched satin collar and pockets was reminiscent of the tiny fitted coats little girls usually wear as winter uniforms in private schools. The cozy feel of an elongated waistcoat in knitted mohair topped a feminine ensemble in which a bohemian blouse in floral chiffon was styled with a long, high-waisted velvet skirt, embroidered with lacy motifs.Although her daywear married romance with practicality, as always with Beccaria occasion dresses were the collection’s stronger point. Luscious velvet was the fabric of choice for Victorian-inspired turquoise wrap dresses and for richly cut-out-embroidered numbers fit for a Chekhov heroine. In the same vein, deep blue wool broderie anglaise was cut into chic peasant tiered dresses with poet sleeves and velvet trims. Worn under fuzzy coats, they could indeed brave a chilly snowstorm.
1 February 2019
Luisa Beccaria held her couture presentation at the Ritz’s sumptuously gilded Salon César; it was a homecoming of sorts for the Milanese designer, who in that very same place hosted her last couture show back in 1995. Many years later, she has a chic tribe of five blue-eyed children, and her limited-edition collections have expanded into a successful business with an international clientele. “I often dress mothers and daughters,” Beccaria said. “Beautifully made, made-to-measure couture dresses increasingly appeal to younger customers.”The debate around the relevance of couture is a moot point for the designer. In her vision, the desire for something unique and exquisitely handmade will never be out of fashion. “Couture has to be a dream but also wearable,” she said. “What is really modern in couture today are sophisticated execution techniques, unimaginable until a few years ago: The marriage between high-end technologies and the savoir faire of the atelier makes for a different approach to made-to-measure. It opens up new creative horizons.”Although the designer’s creations have a distinctive ethereal flair, they’re also rather modern in their uncomplicated grace. Shapes are certainly romantic, but never over-elaborate. Even the grandest, most theatrical concoctions always exude a sense of lightness, transparency, and ease. The collection showcased Beccaria’s predilection for romance and delicate prettiness; long occasion dresses in Chantilly lace or flimsy silk tulle in her favorite shades of blue were embellished with sequined embroideries or 3-D blossoms. A lush flower garden was printed on a delightful midi organza number with a ruched doll-like skirt and a cute round collar, while a delicate floral motif graced a billowy gown in weightless red gazar. The same airy feel was infused in a summery plissé dress with cape sleeves enhancing the movement; printed in a geometric grid pattern, it would look a dream on one of Beccaria’s beautiful flower girls.
28 January 2019
It was a scorcher in the garden of the Palazzo Reale at this afternoon’s Luisa Beccaria show. The paper parasols she placed on each seat did little to stop sweat from dampening the brow—and pretty much every place else. But if the audience was wilting, the models looked plucked from the summer wedding of an Italianprincipessa, swathed in flower-strewn fil coupe and glowing woven raffia, some of them with tiaras in their hair.Multiple wedding parties could be outfitted from this pretty collection. Beccaria pointed out backstage that her customers make no real distinction between day and night dressing, a statement backed up by the array of fancy frocks in the front row. To be sure, she makes special-occasion clothes; you’re not running to the market or to the gym, or even to work, in them.This season, Beccaria was focused on “the hand” of her fabrics, meaning she chose materials with three-dimensional texture in the form of flowers, butterflies (which practically fluttered as the models walked), or overscale checks. The airiness of these dresses doesn’t come across in pictures; they’re best showcased by movement. Elsewhere, the silk embroideries on tulle sheaths were remarkably detailed and lifelike, and the woven raffia of a matching top and skirt set really did look like spun gold. One persistent quibble: Beccaria clearly caters to an aristocratic Italian clan, but her models were simply too narrowly cast.
20 September 2018
Luisa Beccaria may have actually married a real prince, but she doesn’t spend her days wandering about in a turreted castle—quite the contrary. She has built a solid family-run company and managed to remain independent. With five grown children, a vast Sicilian estate to look after, and a globe-trotting VIP life, her plate is full. Judging from her lifestyle, one could imagine her moving about in flats and a tailored power suit. But no. She always looks as if right out of a Visconti movie; she even runs errands swathed in pale chiffons and powder blue florals.Beccaria and her daughters live the life for which their clothes are designed. The romantic pale blue Vichy cotton sundresses embroidered with crocheted entredeux for Resort would be picture-perfect for a chic getaway in Capri, Forte dei Marmi, or Patmos, which are the family’s favorite holiday destinations. Likewise, an ethereal wraparound chiffon number, printed with a triumph of azure blooms, seems made to be worn by one of her young customers to a party or a wedding reception; Beccaria’s daughter Lucilla would pair it with tennis shoes, taking the drama down a notch and giving it modern allure.Although the collection had a Cecil Beaton–photograph feel, with plenty of cloud-like mille-feuille ensembles and tea dresses in delicately embroidered linen, it also highlighted Beccaria’s pragmatic side; the daywear offering encompassed easily wearable striped cotton apron sundresses, pajama suits and jumpsuits in crisp Vichy poplin, and circle skirts and marinière shirts in broderie anglaise.Yet there’s always a couture-like flair to the designer’s approach; her Milanese atelier provides fabulous made-to-measure evening gowns and wedding dresses to an elite clientele. Her credentials were proved when the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris admitted her to show in the City of Light from 1990 until 1995. Now that bespoke and unique pieces are more and more sought after by a discerning international audience, she is definitely in the right place. Why not go back to Paris for a couture presentation? “Never say never,” said Beccaria. “It would be a dream.”
27 June 2018
Luisa Beccaria is expanding her résumé. Come April, she’ll launch a homeware collection of tablecloths, cutlery, plates, and candles. It’s a natural evolution for the designer, who rehabbed her family’s Sicilian castle to splendid effect, and last year looked on with pride as three of her children opened a popular Milan restaurant, LùBar. Season to season, Beccaria conjures a very rarefied vision of the Italian good life. In their frocks of embroidered lace and hand-painted velvet, her models looked like guests at a lavish wedding in the country. True to form, there were plenty of softly waisted, billowy-sleeved, floaty dresses in today’s show, the most captivating in that lustrous painted black velvet.But it was the daywear she emphasized—that’s the potential growth area for her. Beccaria took her cues from Marianne Faithfull in her Rolling Stones days, when she might’ve borrowed attenuated tailoring from Keith or Mick. The designer cut her jackets close and cropped, her vests fitted, and her pants flared. Many of the models wore versions of Faithfull’s signature floppy felt hat. The menswear influence infiltrated softer, more feminine pieces, like a 1930s-ish silk dress in apied-de-pouleprint, and a slouchy cardigan whose front featured a natty check. With Beccaria working to grow her design vocabulary, it seems a shame that a similarly expansive view wasn’t reflected in a more diverse casting. That’s something Beccaria can rectify next time.
22 February 2018
Luisa Beccaria and her three daughters, with their cerulean eyes and long, dark locks, look like they came straight out of a portrait by the famous society painter Giovanni Boldini. It seems fitting that Beccaria will be one of the sponsors of the Italian artist’s retrospective that’s opening in March at Milan’s Villa Reale. But despite their delicate looks and good manners, Beccaria and her ample progeny (she has two sons as well) are a telling example of true Milanese entrepreneurial determination. Last year, three of her kids opened LùBar, a Sicilian restaurant also in the Villa Reale that quickly became popular.The designer’s style couldn’t be less Milanese; chez the Beccarias, there’s no sight of the practical, efficient minimalism generally associated with the local fashion etiquette. But leading a very busy life always being dressed in her hyper-romantic frocks, she’s proof that you don’t need to only wear tracksuits, sneakers, and black piumini to look right.This was in evidence for Pre-Fall, where Boldini was crossbred with the ’70s bohemian flair that the designer favors. The flowing floral dresses in silk georgette or chiffon that are the designer’s signatures were still here, yet Beccaria opted for renditions in more winter-friendly textures, like a gray flannel embroidered or appliquéd with butterfly motifs. She also introduced gentle masculine shapes, like a dandy-esque wool waistcoat paired with cropped culottes and an ethereal blouse; it looked delightfully Dickensian. The same air of romance could be felt in velvet wrap-around or tiered flowing dresses, printed with curlicues in dégradé hues of dusty pink and peacock blue. They looked enchanting, as did a long velvet number printed with a zig-zag pattern in shades of dark blue, black, and gray.
31 January 2018
Luisa Beccaria’s eldest daughter, Lucilla Bonaccorsi, was married at Castelluccio, the family’s almond farm in Sicily, this summer. It was a moment that Beccaria had been preparing for her since she began her dressmaking business; the lace dress Bonaccorsi wore was plucked from a show her designing mother once staged at the Ritz Paris.Today, at Milan’s Villa Reale—where Beccaria recently sponsored a Boldini exhibition and her three oldest children just opened a successful new restaurant, LùBar—Beccaria and Bonaccorsi re-created elements of the June wedding festivities. Florists from Noto dusted Villa Reale’s courtyard cobblestones with a mosaic of multicolored blossoms, and almond branch–printed chiffon dresses (worn by Bonaccorsi’s bridesmaids) walked the runway. There were even tiny sacks of Castelluccio almonds on each seat. It was all quite charming; the only things missing were parasols to ward off the sun, which wasn’t Sicily-in-June strong but had the front row sweating anyway.All this to say, women searching for fairy-tale dresses for next summer’s weddings will find much to choose from chez Beccaria. The designer showed a lace-edged denim jumpsuit and a few fluttery miniskirt and blazer combos, which were more or less successful, but her raison d’être is an ethereally pretty dress. These appeared in a willowy mint green cotton tulle, in embroidered white organza with graceful full sleeves, and in a red and white stretch-cotton ticking stripe. The novelty this season was to be found in the comparatively humble cotton fabrications. They lent the old-world sensibility of Beccaria’s creations a modern feel.
21 September 2017
Luisa Beccaria really lives the lifestyle her romantic clothes are made for. A case in point is the wonderful wedding party she just threw for daughter Lucilla at their family estate, Feudo del Castelluccio, in Sicily, a whimsical place if ever there was one. Lucilla looked like a vision, wearing a dress designed years ago by her mother, a lace concoction fit for a fairy-tale princess. Which she actually is, her father being the Sicilian aristocrat Prince Lucio Bonaccorsi di Reburdone. “I wanted that very same dress since I was a child,” said a smiling Lucilla. “When I first saw it, I said to Mama: One day, that will be my wedding dress!”For Resort, Luisa and Lucilla relied on their true-and-tested recipe: an ode to ethereal femininity, in clouds of filmy fabrics scattered with embroidered wildflowers galore. For the mother-daughter designer duo, in every girl there’s a princess ready to be awakened. They shrouded her in fragile organzas, eyelet linens, laces, chiffons, and georgettes in exquisite watercolor hues. Celadon, almond green, powder pink, lavender, coral, primrose yellow, and sky blue were so delicate they were barely there. Ruching and volants swirled around long hems, elongated sleeves, and décolletages, while crisp cotton poplin had a less otherworldly feel on long striped shirtdresses and sundresses printed with floral motifs. Even if they somehow suggested a more practical approach, it was just a passing, deceitful thought; Beccaria’s girls are dreamy at heart and as bohemian and enchanting as they come.
12 July 2017
There was a time when a Luisa Beccaria collection was party frocks from one end to the other. Not so anymore. The cold, hard truth is that few women require more than a handful of new special occasion dresses a year, if that. A coat, skirts, pants in an of-the-moment silhouette, a comfy knit—those are the things we invest in because we need them day to day. Beccaria has gotten wise to that fact, and so she put all of these things in her new Fall lineup.The woods in wintertime was the show’s loose theme; it gave her the color palette of bordeaux, rust, and deep pink set against cool pale blue and the abstract leaf prints and jacquards that decorated dresses and tailoring. Beccaria’s wood nymphs wore crowns of glass flowers handblown in Venice and cocktail rings by Tiffany & Co. She may have added sportswear and suiting to the mix, but she hasn’t said goodbye to her brand’s signature upper-crust whimsy. Still, shoppers who have written off Beccaria as too saccharine or girly will be pleasantly surprised by pieces like a tweedy skirtsuit, herringbone car coat, and smart pair of culottes in a fluid checked wool.Party frocks remain her raison d’être, of course. Most impressive were the special fabrics: lace with the faintest holographic sheen; white tulle embellished with lush, three-dimensional velvet flowers; and another pretty net, this time seen on a simple long-sleeved sheath with deep pink floral embroidery. One quibble: Beccaria opted to show the collection in a dark, candlelit palazzo with leaves strewn along the terrazzo tiled floor. The winter woods are indeed a lovely place, but she should have let some daylight in.
23 February 2017
Milan’s museum of science and technology was an interesting choice of location forLuisa Beccaria’s Spring 2017 show, considering that her brand is so besotted with a vision of the past that’s more rooted in fairy tales than in hard facts. Admittedly, the museum is an official Milan Fashion Week location, and Beccaria used the picturesque balconies surrounding the courtyard as a backdrop for her runway, rather than the exhibitions devoted to the history of technology. Nevertheless, there was no shortage of irony in staging “the nymph affair,” as the collection was called, in hallowed halls of math and science. Overhead, a drone operated by a man in the courtyard buzzed and surged toward the audience.Beccaria is an unapologetic romantic, and her collection reflected that fact. She took inspiration from water lilies and the aforementioned nymphs and translated it into floor-sweeping dresses in light, pastel-toned tulle and organza. Sheer frocks had floral embroidery around the edges or bodice; later on, a Halston-esque edge crept in, courtesy of silver lamé knits, as if the sleeping princess had only been taking a disco nap. The most winning looks were the most wearable ones—a delicately glamorous diamanté-embroidered slip dress; striped sundresses accented with an oversize ribbon at the back; a straightforward brocade cocktail number—visions of the real future mixed in among so many fantastical confections.
22 September 2016
The corsetry trend continued today from across the Atlantic, showing up at Luisa Beccaria’s ultra-feminine, capital-R Romantic Fall 2016 show in Milan. Whereas New York designers likeVictoria Beckham,Tome, andHood By Airslashed and ripped and twisted and twerked the waist-whittling classic into submission, Beccaria chose a more literal translation, putting corsets in brocade and tweed over printed chiffon blouses, flowing dresses, and at least one thick-collared knit pullover for an effect that she described backstage as “quite Marie Antoinette.” It was that. It was also a little Swiss Miss (when the blouses fell off the shoulders in a few looks), a bit Disney princess (when the stretch velvet came out), and undoubtedly very pretty, as in the case of a breezy embroidered tulle frock with ribbon trim that crossed under the bust, whose passage provoked the fear that some onlookers, arms and iPhones outstretched, might topple into the front row.Beccaria had caught an exhibition of the work of Jean-Étienne Liotard at London’s Royal Academy of Arts earlier this year and found inspiration in the painter’s depiction of velvet and choice of colors, specifically his deep teal, saturated turquoise, and powder pink. “These are the colors that look good on women in winter,” the designer said. Some more modern iterations of these hues were on hand, as in the case of a blue algae–color mohair sweatshirt or a windowpane check used in separates and slim-cut dresses, the latter perhaps best advertised on the back of Beccaria’s daughter and codesigner, Lucilla, who showed straightforwardly how one might wear the collection without fear of erring too far on the side of the Renaissance Faire. Lace-trimmed satin ribbon choker necklaces with pearl drop pendants inspired lust among onlookers—some of whom envisioned pairing them with white T-shirts and blue jeans for a look that, coupled with one of the powder blue robe coats (replete with songbird brooches) while not quite out of the court of Louis XVI, could certainly do the school pickup and still convey a hint of romance.
25 February 2016
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema meets Marisa Berenson: As far as inspiration goes, that’s a daring match. But forLuisa Beccaria, it was a successful one, at least in the garden, where the action for her Spring collection took place. It was a quite literal celebration of “flower power”—or an homage to a horticultural obsession. Billowy dresses bloomed with a lavish abundance of lilacs, roses, carnations, irises, hydrangeas, tulips, violets, cornflowers, periwinkles, cyclamens. Printed or embroidered in exquisite appliqués, they called to mindFrom Marie Antoinette's Garden, a recently published tome that praised the encyclopedic love that the French queen had for all the flowery specimens she tried to grow at the Petit Trianon, her pastoral retreat.Ever the romantic, Beccaria indulged her passion for long, ethereal gowns in wispy organza, lace, and chiffon: They had a prairie-chic spirit spiced up with a hint of folklore. Seventies bohemian silhouettes added a fresh spin to an ultrafeminine lineup of Empire-waisted frothy dresses with bouffant sleeves and coquette décolletages. Wide-brimmed straw hats and languid floral scarves completed the bucolic look. The crowd of posh mothers and daughters, part of Beccaria’s loyal family-and-friends audience, looked very pleased, ready to order dresses that would be perfect for weddings in historical Tuscan villas, or tea parties in manicured gardens.
24 September 2015
Nancy Mitford—of the legendary Mitford sisters, la crème de la crème of British eccentric aristocracy—was in the air at Luisa Beccaria's show today, which the designer titled The Pursuit of Love: a Tale of Contradictions for Modern Cinderellas in reference to Mitford's most famous novel. Notions of contradiction don't easily come to mind when thinking about Beccaria's style, which seems to be designed for delusional heroines from a turn-of-the-century Russian novel in which tragic love ends in disaster, with decadent lives spent at grand society balls under frescoed ceilings and crystal chandeliers. But, as Beccaria pointed out backstage at the sumptuous palazzo where she showed her collection, surrounded by long-limbed models swathed in tulle and velvet, modern life keeps creeping in. Thus she wanted to work around the play of opposites that sits at the core of the often unmanageable dynamic of women's everyday duties. Strength versus vulnerability, dreams versus reality, masculine versus feminine.This is not to say that Beccaria tried to address any gender issue, or encouraged conceptual interpretations. She just introduced a more focused attention to the "practical" needs of her posh clientele, injecting a good dose of tailoring and adding more substantial and masculine fabrications like loden, gray flannel, vicuña wool, and tweed to her signature über-feminine look. Embroideries and prints were graphic and subtle, more abstract and less literal than usual; houndstooth culottes were paired with a lacy shirt—they were modern yet romantic. The silhouette was more streamlined and slightly reminiscent of the '40s; it would have been perfect for a modern Nancy Mitford, witty and mischievous and very upper-class.
25 February 2015
Luisa Beccaria seems emblematic of her brand's customer: Today, clad in a flowy pink chiffonchemisierof her own design, she greeted her posse of highborn Milanese friends at a presentation-cum-show held in the beautiful courtyard of the San Simpliciano Cloisters, a site rarely open to the public. Models in dresses as delicate as a soufflé were scattered along the monastic arcades of the secluded garden, with fountains dripping and soulful music playing on the soundtrack. It made for an evocative set, well suited to showcase a style that has proved perfect for posh weddings and exclusive debutante balls."I wanted to reference the languid atmosphere of a boudoir, the sensuality of the exquisite antique lingerie, yet in a modern and sophisticated way," Beccaria said backstage, where Lucilla, one of her daughters, was helping her mother navigate the preshow mayhem. Boudoir and cloisters don't seem to go hand in hand, yet the collection had a youthful, bohemian spirit, sweet but not cloying. Silhouettes were fluid and breezy, and the lingerie theme was played tastefully, as in a see-through long black chemise in silk mesh paired with a satin bodice, or in a pink robe de chambre in finely pleated chiffon decorated with a fragile entredeux lace. Intricate botanical embroideries were abundant in bustiers and in bias-cut slipdresses in flowery prints. And the sportswear theme (surprise!) crept up discreetly: Overcoats in metallic organza were inspired by a parka shape and thrown over ballerina dresses in airy mille-feuille tulle.
21 September 2014
Milan's Bagatti Valsecchi Museum houses Renaissance art, furniture, and tapestries that belonged to the nineteenth-century collectors Fausto and Giuseppe Bagatti Valsecchi. It was the setting for Luisa Beccaria's presentation, which combined a runway show and tableaux vivants. The model who posed on a settee in a mauve duchesse satin portrait-collar gown had her picture snapped by every smartphone-wielding person in the place. It's not quite the same thing as a Renaissance portrait, is it? But the way the folds of the dress caught the light was lovely. Beccaria has a way with a romantic frock, as was made clear by another occasion dress with a navy bodice, and a black skirt bisected with a crystal-encrusted waistband. Also pretty, if not quite as gala: an off-the-shoulder, long-sleeve lace column in silvery lilac, and a cocktail dress in clingy champagne-colored chenille. Both had a restraint that the plissé evening numbers lacked.Depending on the season, Beccaria dabbles more or less with daywear. In the process of a recent move, she discovered a stash of dresses from her earliest days as a designer. They prompted a couple of experiments with Alcantara suede and other technical fabrics. It was a worthwhile pursuit, but that artificial suede refuses to drape the way duchesse satin does.
20 February 2014
Luisa Beccaria's show is a friends-and-family affair. Many international editors have crossed it off their list because, let's face it, there just aren't that many ways to reinvent the party frock. But Beccaria and her daughter Lucilla Bonaccorsi, who design together, do have a way with an occasion dress. And within the narrow, rather precious niche they've established for themselves, they do innovate.Their freshest idea for Spring was to laser-cut humble cotton into narrow strips that they affixed onto tulle. The resulting coral-on-white sheath was crisp, not clingy; its demureness gave it a real appeal. Bonaccorsi's hand was evident in newer, youthful shapes like the crop tops, which were a success, and the shorts-under-a-dress look, which may be happening on other runways but was less convincing here. Elsewhere, iridescent butterflies embroidered on the bodice of a gown and the hem of a shorter cocktail number were a shade too chaste. But falling squarely in the designers' sweet spot this season was a cotton voile V-neck shirtdress with covered buttons and light blue lace appliqué. Nothing life-changing about it, but in this case, pretty was enough.
17 September 2013
Luisa Beccaria had an art history lesson in store for her guests today. When she discovered a little-known Spanish painter, Federico Beltrán Masses, at Frieze, she knew she was on to something. The designer found his portraits of powerful women in Hollywood between the World Wars particularly riveting, so she lifted his color palette—golds, acid greens, and "emerald blues"—and designed her dresses along long, lean 1930s lines. It made for a much more persuasive collection than last season's. Beccaria sidestepped daywear for Spring, but for Fall she had winning suggestions in the form of slim tailleurs, either in navy and black tweed bouclé shot with lace, or ivory stretch lace macramé. A delicate embroidered cardigan tucked into high-waisted pants channeled Katharine Hepburn.Evening, of course, is where it's at for Beccaria, so she put most of the focus on cocktail dresses and gowns. That made for a somewhat repetitive conclusion to the show, but some numbers did stand out. The long-sleeve bias-cut columns should do well with Beccaria's body-beautiful Hollywood clientele. Meanwhile, an acid-green full-skirted gown with an embroidered black tulle overlay was the piece most evocative of her painterly inspiration.
20 February 2013
Luisa Beccaria and her daughter Lucilla Bonaccorsi are keen to build the company. Their first-ever pre-collection featured more daywear than their runways typically do. If you're shopping for pants, Beccaria will probably never be your brand, but a tailored blazer with metallic gold detailing and the floor-length pleated skirt it was shown with felt new, and so did tweed bouclé jackets with inset stripes of lace. The navy and black version looked especially good. For day, a midnight-blue dress with a bohemian spirit—bishop sleeves, full skirt, lace waistband—distinguished itself from the rest. Evening dresses, Beccaria'spane e burro,weren't the focus here; mom and daughter are saving them for their February show. But a sleeveless gown with thin bands of holographic fringe from neck to hem was a nice change from their usual lace and chiffon.
22 January 2013
"The Girl From Ipanema" was on the soundtrack and the program notes mentioned Bahia, but this Luisa Beccaria show didn't channel Brazil so much as it did that scene inThe Sound of Musicwhere Maria pulls the curtains off the window to make clothes for the children. Could it be because the wallpaper print Beccaria used for flounced long dresses was echoed on the runway and the wall behind it? There was nothing subtle about this presentation, not with the exuberant head wraps and the basket of flowers one model carried on her head.After Beccaria's dip last season into additional categories like outerwear and more casual separates, it was also somewhat disappointing to see her lean so heavily on long evening dresses. Where were the shorts and the other vacation clothes her girls will need for their next trip to Bahia? Beccaria hit on a few lovely frocks here, but not enough to rescue this collection from the miss column.
23 September 2012
It's always party time chez Luisa Beccaria. Her sugar-coated version of the good life persists from season to season, but she continues to expand her repertoire—not necessarily moving beyond cocktail hour and after-dark, yet adding categories nonetheless. If a quilted velvet trench won't keep you dry in the rain, it will keep your shoulders warm in your guipure lace frock. A Lurex-shot bouclé tweed skirtsuit had a newness factor too, as did a fine-knit turtleneck sweater worn with a to-the-floor accordion-pleated skirt.That maxi skirt in particular felt more fashion-y than typical Beccaria fare. In fact, the designer and her daughter Lucilla Bonaccorsi might be paying too much attention to recent Valentino runways. The echoes were strong here, not only in those pleats, but also in the eyelet pieces and the floral embroidery on a long-sleeve tulle dress with a full skirt. Another tulle number in a watercolor print of crystals had no progenitors we could think of, and was better for it.
22 February 2012
Few designers are better positioned to take their audience on a virtual tour of Mediterranean hot spots than Luisa Beccaria, who has vacationed with her family in Capri, Sicily, and the Greek islands for decades. For Spring, she and her daughter Lucilla Bonaccorsi dreamed up a travel wardrobe as dreamy as the locations the pieces are destined for. We aren't talking about trekking clothes—roughing it isn't the Beccaria way—but the collection did have a pleasing, newfound ease. It came across in a reliance on cottons for white eyelet-embroidered party dresses and pastel frocks with elasticized waistbands that could do double duty as beach cover-ups. It was also there in the addition of fine-silk knit sweaters in a floral print: A tank version shown with a long narrow skirt looked particularly fresh.That's not to say Beccaria abandoned special-occasion clothes altogether; she has her Hollywood clientele to think of, too. Among the red-carpet dresses, the two with long sleeves—one in white lace and the other in georgette plissé—best captured the easy, fresh feel of the newsy, more casual pieces.
21 September 2011
Before the Luisa Beccaria show this afternoon, the designer's daughter and right hand in the design studio, Lucilla Bonaccorsi, said that the company is opening one boutique in Melbourne, Australia, this year and five in China. That explains the emphasis on daywear separates and wallet-friendly knits. Women cannot live on cocktail dresses and gowns alone, no matter where they call home. But even the label's belted tweed cape, cable sweaters, and floral jacquard pantsuit came gilded for Fall. A Christmastime family trip to Syria apparently lent the collection the Byzantine glow that made the jaw-dropping neoclassical Villa Reale such an apt venue. Like last season, they used "real girls" in the show: Professional ballerinas, friends of the brand, and a harpist staged tableaux vivants among the art gallery's Segantini paintings and Antonio Canova sculptures.What with those bits of staging, the 48-look runway show couldn't help but feel overlong. Similarly, the multilayered tulle and organdy ribbon gowns that were touted in the program notes felt overworked. But there were some simpler beauties in the bunch. Two looks in particular—a short-sleeved, ankle-length dress in gold-dipped lace and a long-sleeved, sashed blue chiffon number with panels of that same golden lace—were worth a callout.
23 February 2011
If you can't enlist famous actresses to model your collection like you-know-who, do the next best thing: Rally your prettiest, most aristocratic young clients and get them to do the modeling. That was the plan this season for Luisa Beccaria, and it mostly paid off. Wedge espadrilles made negotiating the balcony of the Pinacoteca di Brera challenging for the non-pros—hey, it happens to even the most seasoned catwalkers—but their bemused, can-you-believe-I'm-up-here smiles more than made up for that. If reporters hadn't been there taking notes and pictures, Brera tourists might've thought they'd stumbled upon some fabulous afternoon wedding. Colors were soft and sun-faded, fabrics were often diaphanous, and the silhouette was loosened up. The overall effect: upper-crust bohemian, and charming with it.The opening white cotton shirtdress with a deep geometric lace hem and matching sleeves set a relaxed tone that carried into other daywear: natural linen wrap dresses, an eyelet trench, and a delicate tie-neck, flutter-sleeve blouse worn with a ribbon-embroidery pencil skirt. Beccaria's party dresses were as diverse as the real-girl models' bodies: a high-necked halter in white organdy for a willowy type, a décolleté-revealing floral print for someone slightly more Rubens-esque. And for her A-listers back in L.A. (the designer has her share of Hollywood admirers, too): a handful of red-carpet-standby goddess gowns.
22 September 2010
The setting wasn't lacking in drama. Luisa Beccaria held her show in the grand Maria Teresa Hall of the Braidense National Library at the Brera Museum, and for musical accompaniment she hired Passionata, a British opera quartet who sang and emoted like divas. That's a lot for this dress-centric collection to live up to. Did it? Well, the lineup was overlong and suffered at times from heavy-handed styling (knee-highs, ankle socks, and Mary Janes spell overkill in anyone's book). But in the end, yes, the collection was wide-ranging enough to please all of Beccaria's constituencies, from Hollywood types to longtime fans of her girly frocks.For the actresses, there were a number of red-carpet contenders: a navy and black sweetheart strapless taffeta gown, a red charmeuse siren column, and a dusty rose chiffon floor-grazer with ruched skirt and rosettes embellishing the bodice. For those whose lives don't revolve around awards shows, there were other options: The sweater dresses had a sweet charm, as did a few party numbers embroidered with scallops of frilly tulle. The designer also diversified a bit, layering cozy wrap cardigans over a lot of her dresses, and adding some tailoring to the mix. Feminine tailoring, that is. Where Beccaria goes, ruffles are never far behind.
25 February 2010
Luisa Beccaria is diversifying. No, she didn't suddenly send a string of black dresses down the runway or do anything as drastic as add pants to her parade of pastel-y party frocks. Instead, she's launching a range of hand-blown Venetian glass and collaborating with Citroën on a car covered inside and out in a rose print from the Spring line. Both were on display at her show.The collection itself had a 1950's thing going on. The strapless, shirred blue and white polka dots gave you early Brigitte Bardot; a silk shantung number with a flaring skirt was more bunny hop. Scattered throughout were new versions of the designer's tried-and-true hits: a strappy sundress in a wallpaper floral, frothy occasion dresses in densely ruffled two-tone tulle, and a maxi dress in cream eyelet. More than a few reliable one-shoulder looks turned up, too. It was all perfectly pretty, and some of it easily imaginable on Nicole Kidman or Eva Mendes, two stars that Beccaria's show notes touted as clients. But it'd be refreshing to see her step out of her comfort zone, and we're not talking about vases and a tricked-out hatchback.
24 September 2009
Luisa Beccaria presented her Fall collection at the Villa Necchi Campiglio, a newly restored onetime private Milanese residence built in the early thirties. The parquet floors, high ceilings, and bookshelf-lined walls were a good match for Beccaria's unapologetically romantic vision. These clothes looked like they could have stepped out of a period movie, or perhaps been pulled from the mansion's upstairs closets, where original Chanel and Gucci creations still hang.The designer said she was putting a new emphasis on daywear. Her first models floated across the villa's parlor floor wearing shirtwaist dresses in powdery shades of silk and portrait-collar skirtsuits in metallic tweeds. If those were too precious, a striking sleeveless belted sheath, in a dégradé fabric that shaded from gold at the shoulders to deep blue at the hem, had real-world potential.The dreaminess factor can make Beccaria's party numbers sing. Tops for after dark were the scalloped metallic-lace mermaid dresses with trains. Even in a time of downscaling, those should help further raise her profile on both the New York City party circuit and the red carpet.
27 February 2009
Before the first model hit the runway, Luisa Beccaria sent out her young daughter and son, along with two other beautiful little kids, to scatter rose petals. Whether or not you appreciated the flower children is a good indicator of how you might feel about the collection itself: For some, Beccaria's party dresses are the very essence of romance; for others, they're just too sweet. But there's no arguing that this was one of her most accomplished shows. It was cohesive, well-made (although she'll have to address the sheerness issue before retail), and utterly charming.Flowers, it should be obvious, were the collection's main motif. They were printed in delicate, powdery bouquets on swirling natural cotton-muslin dresses and embroidered in pink on a white georgette gown. Ruffles were another theme. They trailed round and round the skirts of strapless tulle frocks in two-tone shades of pink or lilac. Silk mikado skirtsuits, again with ruffles tracing the lapels, provided a counterpoint to all that softness. The lineup was composed almost entirely of dresses, which made a chic pair of belted, high-waisted cropped pants, worn with an embroidered ivory blouse, all the more noticeable. It was a cool look—and even those who shun rose-colored glasses would be tempted.
24 September 2008
The show was moved this season from Luisa Beccaria's Brera district shop, with its sparkly pastel walls, to Milan's soulless Fiera—and what was gained in convenience was lost in intimacy. It's not a negligible point for a designer who built her success as much on the charm of her personal story and the gorgeous looks of her young brood as on her pretty party frocks. Location aside, this was typical Luisa Beccaria: frothy, sweeter than a candy shop, and without so much as one rough edge. Citing points of reference as divergent as Whistler and the seventies photographer Sarah Moon, she worked mostly in an opalescent palette of soft pinks, pale blues, and silvery whites, with shots of Fall's popular iridescent purples and greens. Daytime offerings included a Shetland wool shift with lacelike embroidery on the patch pockets, a crocheted dress with delicate needlework at the yoke, and a frilly bow-front blouse worn with an A-line skirt. For evening—where her heart is—Beccaria ranged from a pouf-skirted dance dress with a sweetheart neckline to ruffled tulle trapezes that overpowered her models' narrow frames.Among the more interesting pieces were a peacock-feather-print day dress worn with a wide, striped suede belt and a floor-length net dress with a plunging V-neck and cap sleeves in allover ribbon embroidery. Subtle and sophisticated, they saved the collection from becoming too precious and doll-like.
20 February 2008
With a Mediterranean garden party as a theme, this was another of Luisa Beccaria's typical pretty party-dress collections. There were many options from which to choose—from the understated (black eyelet and pastel chiffons) to the witty (a fruit-basket print for sundresses, oversize gingham for a fitted sheath) to the overly literal (a few numbers interwoven with natural raffia). For evening, a romantic rose-photo-print mermaid gown with shirring at the bodice stood out among solid hues like periwinkle, emerald green, and lemon yellow.The designer is intimately familiar with this terrain. (Her family home in Sicily has no doubt hosted a garden party or two.) She may be too familiar, in fact, as her collections are in danger of becoming formulaic. When she veered from the predictable—as she did with a couture-grade orange silk short-sleeve cocoon coat that topped an accordion-pleated dress, an apricot chiffon scarf tied around the model's neck for extra chic value—pens started scribbling in the front row. Next time, she'd be smart to pack her collection with more such surprises.
26 September 2007
It was a family affair at Luisa Beccaria. Her youngest daughter, Luna, scooted down the runway in a golden brocade shift. And her oldest girl, Lucilla, came out with her for her bow. In fact, it is with Lucilla's input that Beccaria has started moving the always-feminine, occasionally frothy collection in a younger direction, refining her understanding of what the party set she caters to really wants to wear now.This season, the Beccaria look spanned black silk velvets punctuated with ivory frills; forties frocks with puffed shoulders, bow fronts, and flippy hems in an arabesque-print silk or silvered lace; sixties bracelet-sleeved A-line coats; and, of course, a fair amount of fuchsia pink. In fuchsia, a short strapless satin dress worked better than a ruched cocktail number in silk velvet. A rosebud-print trench and matching pants added up to a misstep, too, but you could imagine Beccaria pulling off the same silhouette in a solid. One of the best looks of the show was a tailored, ankle-grazing evening trench. Among the more ethereal chiffon evening confections, it stood out for its sophistication.
22 February 2007
There is a hard-to-miss Omega watch ad near the Four Seasons in Milan, featuring Nicole Kidman in a Luisa Beccaria dress. And before today's show, the designer's PR representative was quick to mention a fan letter the actress had sent, raving about the lovely, frothy confection. What's behind Beccaria's loyal and growing Hollywood following? "She makes them pretty," remarked one editor. "Her clothes don't scare them."Does that mean she plays it too safe? Certainly, there was nothing demonstrably trendy on Beccaria's spring runway, and when she did nod in that direction—with a couple of short, strapless party frocks in washed silk —it didn't quite gel. Their bubble hems seemed out of place among the more demure knee-length offerings in eyelet, scalloped lace, and hazy watercolor florals. But when she stayed closer to her comfort zone, her clothes stood out for all the right reasons—take a shirtwaist dress with cap sleeves in organza printed with an abstract gold wash. The collection's lone suit, a cape-back jacket and a pleated skirt, came in the same Klimt-esque fabric. The showstopper arrived a few looks later, a champagne silk-charmeuse gown worthy of Carole Lombard. Bias-cut thirties styles have been gliding down many a runway, but Beccaria's looked the most elegant and the best-constructed of the lot. If she only does one thing, there's no denying she does it awfully well.
28 September 2006