Alfredo Cortese wanted to evoke the same somewhat disorienting feel of his early days in Milan 12 years ago. Leaving behind a sun-drenched winter sky, guests were immersed in a fog-filled, low-lit industrial space.
His quest for intimacy percolated down to the clothes. Cortese is building his own lexicon out of sensual dressing and here he toyed with asymmetry and see-through, lingerie-inspired concoctions to conjure a rugged sophisticated vibe.
The collarbone was his fetish for the season, exposed via bias-cut slipdresses and off-shouldered knit frocks with side slits, also hip-revealing. Cortese added a glam spin via marabou dresses, feather-trimmed knits and little black dresses covered in crystals mimicking a babydoll.
Like his maestro Alessandro Dell’Acqua, for whom the designer worked before venturing into a solo fashion gig, Cortese puts his sensual ladies somewhere between noir diva and rebellious kid. Kirsten Owen was his muse.