Vampirish and dramatic, Altuzarra’s folky tastes got a luxe twist.

Inspired by the Ecclectic Immortal

This season Joseph Altuzarra took inspiration from Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive”, a vampire love story in which Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddlesmith share a romance over several centuries against a cool rock-and-roll backdrop. Knowing this, one would picture a collection in the vein of Saint Laurent, yet Altuzarra’s FW16 collection drew less from the film’s moody musician characters than from its eclectic global aesthetic.

Collision Course

In a patchwork pastiche of global references, Indian paisleys collided with Venetian pearls, amidst patterns and shapes from Moroccan and Turkish folkloric tradition. Standards included micropatterns on micropatterns: for instance, Jamie Bouchert in a blazer with black and white flowers, paired with a pencil skirt with navy and white paisley flourishes, offset by black knee-high boots.

Boho Redux Standouts

Set to the soundtrack of Grimes x Janelle Monae’s thumping dance track “Venus Fly”, the standout silhouette was a belted knee-flapping dress with four-cornered hem made to look like an oversized patterned handkerchief worn as a dress. Accessories included waist-defining belts throughout, and bags from the designer’s Ghianda collection, like hobos and saddles in calfskin and jacquard.  The finale was apt: three handkerchief gowns, embellished top to bottom with shiny medallions, clinking down the runway like the sound of a gypsy far from home.

Photographer: Gabriela Celeste

Words: R.J. Hernández