Giulietta (Q4154)
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Giulietta is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Giulietta |
Giulietta is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Heartbreak will do funny things to a person—or a brand. In the case ofGiulietta, this season’s chosen theme led to a brazen about-face from the label’s usual vernacular. Gone were theCourrègesshapes and the quirky Mod sweetness that have so long characterized designer Sofia Sizzi’s work; in their place was a prowling, ’80s-hued nocturnal glamour. Sizzi hinted at the personal tumult that had informed that change, but the ideas were displayed pretty clearly on the runway.A relationship’s aftermath in all its many stages came to life in clothing: rebound-worthy pieces like pegged trousers in crimson leather, plunging halters, micro minis, and gleaming metallic silvers; or perhaps most explicitly, the frantic scrawl of a “love letter” print, spotted in a silk blouse and studded in crystals across an otherwise sensible-looking black blazer. A pierced heart motif hearkened back toSchiaparelli, while a blue rhinestone heart fell in shards down the front of one of Sizzi’s sweatshirts.While in a relationship, it’s important not to lose who you are—but the same goes for a breakup. The bulk of the looks here were a swift departure from what the Giulietta shopper has come to expect. One puff-sleeved black midi dress embellished simply with the wordsheart brokenalong the hem married the best elements of Sizzi’s aesthetic and this bold new direction; it was easy to love.
12 February 2016
Tennis-loving cyborgs are taking over! Or rather, they did today on the runway atGiulietta, where designerSofia Sizziimagined the sport and its aesthetics, as well as robots, through the lens of Courrèges, sending out an army of mod-looking automotons in punchy crimson, cobalt, green, and white. There were sweet, cropped off-the-shoulder tops and culottes, a great T-shirt dress with a tennis skirt, and a kicky blue mini that flashed the crimson of inset pleats. Giulietta has been long distinguished by a certain vintage-loving quirk that carries through to silhouettes, but this season things took a surprising turn toward the body-conscious: strappy bodysuits and hourglasses dresses abounded.Sizzi’s tennis references were subtly used, though they were easy to spot if you knew to look for them: bold white stripes seemed to have leapt straight off the courts and onto skirt hems and the legs of pants. The lace of a pair of emerald flares was a riff on tennis balls and nets, as was the collection’s lovely closing look, a beige evening gown whose organza skirt came studded with big, glossy cabochons. Robots got a nod in geometric jewel and Plexiglass breastplate-like embellishments. But androids aren’t without their flaws. They have no hearts, for one. And while this collection surely had heart to it, in places it felt a little bloodless. Giulietta’s idiosyncracies have served the label well before; here’s hoping we’ll see more of them come Fall.
12 September 2015
Who would say no to a bit of wardrobe magic? This season, designer Sofia Sizzi was put in mind of witches and fairies, and she gamely set about translating that through the playfully polished lens Giulietta is known for. The theme was most pronounced in Sizzi's celestial designs: the pow-pow appeal of graphic red shapes against an orchid backdrop, or a skirt of snaking black rebrodé that gave way to stars. Prettiest of all was the combination of nude silk and celestial white lace panels, spotted in blouses and frocks; she struck upon a winning combination of the demure and the racy there.The relative froth of fairy tales was grounded in simpler pieces with contrasting exterior seams, the result of sample-room tweaks to a trench that the designer wasn't fully satisfied with. Thanks to looser fits than in seasons past, things never teetered on the princess-y or precious—despite a new eye to eveningwear. The color-blocked gown, which Sizzi called out as her favorite piece, would look equally lovely on Kerry Washington or Cate Blanchett, both of whom have lately been spotted wearing the brand.
5 June 2015
Sofia Sizzi is a connoisseur of the retro reference. For Fall she found a double whammy in Bertolucci's 1970 political dramaThe Conformist, a movie that marries the glamour of the era in which it was made with the '30s fascist design sensibilities that are its backdrop. The result was happily darker than some of Giulietta's recent offerings. After all, does anyone read repeating black and red chevrons as anything other than an expression of a certain, perhapsShining-esque, psychological distress? Prints like that and densely laser-cut, heat-bonded flocking did a lot to diffuse the sweetness elsewhere in this collection and in the Giulietta oeuvre generally.Sizzi's '70s influences fairly sang, writ large in the great high-waisted flares and a paisley print, but the '30s elements hummed along in the mix, too. A spruce-colored dress with bursts of Deco beading across the bodice you could almost picture on Norma Shearer circaThe Women—though it would look just as good on a decidedly 21st-century starlet, such as Jemima Kirke.
15 February 2015
Penelope Tree, preparing for liftoff! Sofia Sizzi, the perennially '60s-referencing designer of Giulietta, took a space-age trip for Pre-Fall, one hefty part Courrèges with maybe a dash of the Jetsons. Print was paramount here, like the bold, thermal-bonded "hourglass" design that pulsed down the fronts of mod little frocks, or a pattern inspired by the innards of a vintage computer and printed on organza. Sizzi whipped the latter into dynamite flared trousers, among other pieces. Silhouettes skewed toward the vintage-y, tempered by a wonderfully weird palette—grape, rust, chartreuse, and turquoise all playing in unlikely harmony—and details like sporty, matte black hardware. Coolest of all were the "flowers from Mars," as Sizzi dubbed a puffy metallic jacquard in emerald and gold. There was more idiosyncrasy in this collection than one typically finds in a Giulietta offering: Those Martian blooms, used on a jumpsuit with contrasting turquoise sleeves, were a stunning testament to it.
11 December 2014
Sofia Sizzi couldn't contain herself backstage before Giulietta's Spring runway show. The designer recently embarked on a more formal partnership with Cieffe Srl, the esteemed Italian factory where the Giulietta collection—alongside many big-name brands—is produced. Along with additional international sales support, Cieffe's investment means that the New York-based Sizzi will be able to expand her product offering. First up, shoes—a category that Sizzi, during her 15 years working as a designer in New York, has conceived many times for other brands. Now's her chance to put her own label on the innersole. "We're going to be able to do so much more," she said, sounding thrilled. It was a lovely thing to see, a designer with such hope and determination to get things done.This collection was a wonderful way to start. Inspired by the Surrealist artist Dora Maar—whoseUntitled (Hand and Shell)Sizzi stumbled upon this summer in Venice—the designer's favorite midi lengths and crepe fabrics were back, just amped up a notch thanks to her refreshed confidence. For instance, several crepe lilac looks were decorated with black paillettes made to mimic seashells, and a lemon-yellow rose print was fashioned into a minidress with black panels coming down the sides, causing the silhouette to lean out. Dresses and skirts had pleating details on one hip only, putting an emphasis on the female form. Elsewhere, Sizzi's fan favorite, the second-skin jumpsuit, was done in white crepe with lemon and lilac details and paired with lilac pumps adorned with a chunky crystal. The sculptural heels offered that late '60s-early '70s sheen Sizzi likes so much. It was the kind of footwear that the film stars the designer holds in such high regard—Monica Vitti, Catherine Deneuve, Sophia Loren—would love. The Giulietta customer is likely to feel the same way.
7 September 2014
Giulietta designer Sofia Sizzi has a straight-up obsession with sixties-era cinema, which in a way helps explain the extreme focus of her collections. "I always go back to some vintage reference point," she said at her Soho showroom. For Resort it was 1969'sLa Piscine,starring Romy Schneider (who was also name checked by Scott Sternberg at Monday's Band of Outsiders presentation). "It was super-glamorous, the effortless way she's just walking around this one house," said Sizzi. "It's a beautiful way of dressing up."To convey that idea of relaxed glamour, the designer styled a sizzling halter-neck jumpsuit—the top resembling a vintage maillot—with a pair of casual-but-pristine white sneakers. A white and burgundy pleated skirt, inspired by a tennis uniform, was worn with a dressy, strong-shouldered blazer. And a white minidress, with a sliver of a keyhole neckline, was layered over a long-sleeve white tee.So yes, there was a lot of white, including Sizzi's other jumpsuit, which was worn by Jessica Stam to Monday night's CFDA Awards. With it, the designer managed to update the peplum, letting it lie flat against the body. Much like its inspiration, Schneider, the piece was an utter knockout.
2 June 2014
Giulietta designer Sofia Sizzi is an undeniable romantic, and for Fall she took that idea in a fairy-tale direction. "This is the story of a girl who enters the forest in a collegiate, innocent wardrobe and, as nature creeps up, she becomes darker, and just a little dangerous," said the designer backstage before the show, sporting a newly shorn blunt bob.The look played to Sizzi's love of 1960s film and its stars, including Catherine Deneuve, Sophia Loren, and Monica Vitti. A midi-length emerald-green skirt was paired with a feminine placket-front blouse, which was worn under a jacket in a floral-on-black print that popped up again and again. Culotte jumpsuits—Sizzi cant get enough of culottes—were tailored to look like dresses. (The dark-blue version, with olive panels at the waist, was a standout.) And a berry-color day dress with allover pleating showed off some of the techniques Sizzi and her team are capable of executing.Sizzi worked for some of the biggest brands in the world—including Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Donna Karan—for a good decade before launching her own collection. That time was obviously well spent, as it seems to have allowed her to form an opinion about fashion with which she can confidently stick. Her tailored jumpsuits, for instance, are becoming sort of a signature—a lot of designers this season are talking about dressed-up daywear, and Sizzi is actually delivering polished pieces with a nod to the past, but not too long of a nod. (Her fitted, feminine suiting is a great example of this.) "I'm in love with this collection," Sizzi said. A woman who seeks elegant, modern pieces when adding to her closet might find herself feeling the same.
8 February 2014
Can we go ahead and anoint Sofia Sizzi the queen of the jumpsuit now? For whatever reason, the Giulietta designer has a real knack for that garment, and this season she turned out her best versions yet: strapless, culotte-length jumpsuits that came in cherry red and color-blocked white and black. Dead chic, they were. And most days, clothes don't have to accomplish anything more than that. This collection was a very good case study in the positive effects of a designer setting her sights neither too high nor too low. Sizzi didn't aim to challenge, but she wasn't content to bore, either, and so she found ways to make her very polished clothes gently surprising.The print here, for instance, was a smatter of smudge marks, really, applied via screen; both the pattern and the process served to introduce an element of rawness. Elsewhere, Sizzi innovated an intriguing construction for some of her pleated skirts and dresses—a few of them featured areas crisscrossed by diamond-shaped blocks of contrasting color. (Optical graphics have shown up on more than a few runways so far this season, but Sizzi has a smart, measured take on the aesthetic; you could even argue that the graphic has replaced the 1960s as the defining Giulietta signature.) All in all, this show found Sizzi pushing herself in an interesting way—she focused on smaller gestures in order to make a stronger statement.
7 September 2013
"Spring Blooming" is the theme of Sofia Sizzi's new Resort collection. This season, the Giulietta designer (who was recently named a U.S. finalist for the International Woolmark Prize) imagined "a slightly nostalgic girl taking a walk through a field of flowers and pollinating her wardrobe as she goes." While she is known for putting a modern spin on the sixties, the references to the decade here were subdued. Sizzi used a graphic polka-dot floral print on several pieces, and also added soft flounces to the waist and hemline of a poppy-colored peplum top and cutaway skirt, pointing out that the ruffles were meant to suggest unfurling petals. Other standouts included a pollen-yellow day dress with side cutouts and a casually elegant jumpsuit—both of which came with flirty bow necks. Sizzi redid her best-selling culottes, but also demonstrated a willingness to experiment. A relaxed tuxedo suit—previously unfamiliar territory for the designer—was hands down one of the lineup's most successful looks.
5 June 2013
Giulietta is one of the finalists for this year's CFDA/VogueFashion Fund award, and as designer Sofia Sizzi explained after her show today, the experience has made her think through the hallmarks of her brand. Giulietta will always be in conversation with the sixties, Sizzi noted, but that conversation can take any number of directions. This time out, Sizzi was conjuring a late-sixties, upscale bohemian vibe—the collection was a little Jane Birkin-esque. But only a little. Mostly, this collection was just very, very focused. Over the past few seasons, Sizzi's clothes have accumulated some girlish twee, but all of that was stripped away this time and replaced with austere color blocking and understated, fluid silhouettes. Though spare, the color-blocked looks were often very pretty—to wit, the cape-topped black and red dress, which winked a bit of skin in the back. In general, though, they expressed a grown-up sense of purpose. That was even true of Sizzi's elegant caped tops—she should get some of kind of award just for figuring out how to make an essentially nonfunctional, silly garment seem practical and cool. This she achieved by slicing her capes open all the way to the shoulder, and fusing them to trim wool turtlenecks. The best iteration of the look paired a black and white version of the top with a well-cut pair of white trousers.Elsewhere, Sizzi introduced an attractive tile print to the mix, which broke up the uniformity of her color blocking without diffusing its impact too much. The signature Giulietta culottes in the tile print were a definite winner, though they might have been nicer without the crystal embellishment. At the close of the show, a tonal version of the tile pattern found its way into the collection's evening looks, which were substantially weaker than anything else here. But overall, Sizzi's take on the almost-but-not-quite seventies was fluent, distinctive, and modern.
12 February 2013
Her recent nomination for the CFDA/VogueFashion Fund thrust Sofia Sizzi's Giulietta further into the spotlight than ever before. It also forced her to think about what makes her label her label. The answer—a commitment to sixties silhouettes, modernized but not unnecessarily overhauled—made for a pre-fall collection that pared back some of the excesses of Spring. It had grown, Sizzi explained, out of a Fashion Fund challenge that asked her to design something with Tiffany & Co. in mind. She thought ofBreakfast at Tiffany's—the nexus of the sixties and the jeweler—and the rest is history, right down to the cat print inspired by Holly Golightly's poor, unloved cat, Cat. (In the lookbook, the role is played by Sizzi's own kitty, Ophelia.)Audrey Hepburn's film wardrobe was famously provided by Hubert de Givenchy; its pièce de résistance, the now-iconic LBD. Sizzi's own version kept the satin sheath shape but simplified the back and added a sweetheart neckline and jeweled collar to the front. Other pieces nodded at couture work, like the pink party dress with a full crinoline skirt, but the best were the simple cigarette pants and tunic or the gray flannel T-shirt with matching car coat, each printed—rather than embroidered—with those same jewels. Too simple for Holly. Just right for Giulietta.
9 December 2012
"An encounter between an eccentric woman and the sea." That was how Sofia Sizzi described her Spring collection. That explains the Peggy Guggenheim glasses, an odder touch than the typically austere Sizzi has indulged in to date. But overall, this collection had a whimsy that's been building in Giulietta over time. The sea theme was expressed everywhere, from the wave shapes created by bodices and bustier tops to the "barnacles" embroidered on collars, the fish prints on jumpsuits and dresses, and the custom fish lace that made up coats and frocks. The designer was quick to point out that the pared-back standards on which she built her label will still be available in her showroom, but for her presentation she let her hair down a bit. "I couldn't resist," she said, standing in front of a sea green lamé dress that shimmered like a mermaid's tail. When we met Giulietta, Sizzi was referencing Catholic vestments. She's gone from sister all the way to siren in a handful of seasons.That's not to say she got there showing much skin. Sizzi pointed to an embellished swimsuit, cut full in the forties style. "We maintained the silhouettes," she said. "They are the Giulietta silhouettes." They were sexed-up a bit by the addition—or maybe that should be subtraction—of keyhole cutouts and lattice panels.Some of the experiments fell flat; a few looked merely odd. But pretty high points like a fish-lace skirt and bralet—its beading hand-embroidered by Sizzi's mother—and a handful of fishtail-paillette dresses won the day. Sizzi has a vision unto herself, stronger than any individual hit or miss. It won her a nomination for the CFDA/VogueFashion Fund, which in turn brought the likes of Andrew Rosen (one of the prize's judges) to her presentation. So here, perhaps, chapter two begins.
12 September 2012
Giulietta has been, since its beginnings, long on backstory. Sofia Sizzi, film buff that she is, creates elaborate mood boards and makes free with references (like Fall's nod toThe Leopard). For Resort, she cut through closer to the bone. "It's an introspective journey for our woman," she said. "She's been traveling around, going to islands in the past, but now she's looking into herself." The result is a collection, she added, that amounted to "a gathering of what Giulietta has been."What Giulietta has been, first and foremost, is a meditation on sixties style. That it remains. The silhouettes still nip in at the waist and extend down to the knee and below. But where earlier collections tended to be austere, Sizzi used Resort to flirt. She introduced more color than she's used to date, like marigold and coral, and the Trevano motif that has always been part of her collection, inspired by her native Florence, was morphed here into a geometric flower print, picked up by floral belt buckles, enamel buttons, and even petals fluttering in Lucite-heeled wedges.Shorter lengths and panels of sheer, which reached their pinnacle in a crystal flower-covered minidress, were positively girlish though never less than proper. Giulietta's getting younger as she gets older. If the message felt less dramatic than her first shots out of the gate, you've got to imagine it'll speak all the louder to the label's growing fan base.
12 June 2012
When Giulietta debuted a year ago, Sofia Sizzi made a big impression right out of the gate with her modern take on sixties-era Italian femininity, scoring accounts with big retail guns like Barneys and Net-a-Porter. "She had a remarkable ability to define herself from the first collection," said Barneys fashion director Amanda Brooks at today's show. Brooks, joined by chief women's merchant Daniela Vitale and CEO Mark Lee, reported that Giulietta's sales so far exceeded expectations.Moments like this involve a delicate balance for a young label. You've got to move forward to show you're capable of developing a vision, and yet in the process you don't want to jettison what made you successful. For Fall, Sizzi mostly did a fine job of walking that tightrope, adding pops of color (a harbinger of things to come for resort, she hinted), a dash of baroque, and more volume to her typically austere lines. (Though it was partly undermined by a few growing-pains glitches like a broken zipper and belts that sat askew.)Sizzi says she was inspired by the Visconti filmThe Leopard, the 1860's through the lens of the 1960's, and the idea of palazzo life, from morning prayers to fancy-dress balls. "It's more whimsical," Sizzi explained in a preview. "I want it to feel traditional but happy and playful." For day, the collection was prim and tailored. While some of the stiff white collars might not be for everyone, existing fans will find their way to the simplicity of a chocolate tunic and cropped pants, or an ivory sheath worn over an eggshell bow blouse. You understood the point of the square pilgrim buckle belts, but at times they added a less-than-welcome retro heft. Part of Sizzi's appeal is her authenticity, and she continued that in the tile-like Trevano motif from her native Florence in a luxe-looking brocade cut into little pants and culottes, and made into a custom jacquard knit.Full-on evening, however, was uneven. The two dresses that ended the show didn't entirely make their case, but a frilled white dress, inspired by the gown worn by Claudia Cardinale inThe Leopard's ball scene, had just the right dose of sugary sweetness for a convincing closing argument.
11 February 2012
When last we left the Giulietta girl, she was on a Mediterranean island somewhere, going native with peasant blouses and scarf prints. For pre-fall, a naval influence reigned. With her Cinemascope imagination, designer Sofia Sizzi is now picturing her muse sailing homeward—and borrowing a few pieces from a navy man or two on the way.If there was any question which way the winds of inspiration blew at the presentation, the assistant signaling models with semaphore flags quickly put it to rest. Those flags turned up in mutant form on Sizzi's big story of the season (and a new offering for the label): silk-blend knits, which echoed the flag's graphic, geometric patterns, most successfully in a camel and black turtleneck. Other sweaters looked a bit busy, a land-bound shopper would have to concede. But there were plenty of smart, dressy little pieces in Giulietta's no-nonsense chic, while a few more playful items, like a pinafore-style minidress with a plissé inset panel, lent more levity than anything in Sizzi's previous, slightly monastic collections. Even so, she's detail-oriented as ever, right down to the button—custom-made, by the way, by jeweler Thomas Bliven, who also contributed the fleur-de-lis-stamped belt buckles.
7 December 2011
When full teams from two major retailers take up several seats at your tiny first runway show, it's a good sign. That was the case at Giulietta, the label launched last season by Gucci and Donna Karan alum Sofia Sizzi.But considering her classicist bent, the new designer's early success in sales—she's already at Net-a-Porter and Barneys, Resort ships shortly to the Webster, and Ikram's not far behind—isn't surprising. Sizzi's work has a Philo-by-way-of-Florence simplicity with immediate appeal. The designer's inspiration usually hews close to sixties-era Italy, her native land. For Spring, she imagined amondainewoman like Veruschka (see the models' piled-high, blunt-cut ponytails) or Marisa Berenson heading to a Mediterranean island, where she'd eventually take to traditional local fare, like daisy-patterned lace and scarf prints.The show was bookended, Sizzi explained, with her muse's sleeker city clothes. But what stood out more were the peasant-y, worked pieces that came in between, like a billowy scarf-printed skirt or a honey-hued sheer lace dress with faintly belled sleeves. There were several looks made with the labor-intensive but beautiful technique of sewing stripes of ribbon onto tulle. It's the kind of old-school dressmaker's detail that Sizzi loves, and that sets her apart.A Giulietta piece could look like your greatest vintage score, and some may take issue with that emphasis on the past. But Sizzi's quiet willingness to do what she loves and not feel pressured into grand statements speaks volumes, and clearly people are paying attention.
11 September 2011