“…And nothing is quite what it seems
You’re dreaming, are you dreaming, oh, Alice?”
The notes of “Alice’s Theme,” from the soundtrack of “Alice in Wonderland,” echo in the Villa Reale’s garden and they mark the beginning of the fashion show, or rather the dream, of Luisa Beccaria.
Flower petals under the feet, a clear blue sky more typical of July rather than mid-September, and a natural environment all around composed the set for the new, enchanting collection of the Sicilian designer who, with her pastel and rich in details looks, addresses a romantic woman, aware of her femininity and nonetheless, modern.
We turn back for a second the White Rabbit’s clock and we return before the music begins, before the silent and general sense of admiration fall on the catwalk: we are in a diametrically opposite situation, surrounded by the backstage’s noise, while the set has still to be finished and with the models in preparation. Like Alice who, without being noticed, runs away from her family to go on an adventure, we approach the hanging clothes to discover every detail: the colorful shades, the floral and butterflies’ inserts, the lines typical of the Sicilian tradition, the beaded embroidery…
“One day I’ll fly away…”
“The most rare
and beautiful flower.”
And then the princess-style dresses, the large suits, the adherent silhouette, the brocade, the silk, the tulle, the transparencies, the open shoes with matched ribbons, the crowns similar to the ones of woods’ nymphs and the retro veiled headdresses… Did we end up in (a fashionable) Wonderland?
We’re awake, again. But the reality that we see is even better than the imagination: those same clothes seem to float like they have a soul, those details are even more appreciated thanks to the movement and you can finally feel the energy and the dedication behind every creation, which is the result of several hours of work, of many checks, even of the last second, and of skilled hands, those of the so admired Italian tradition that the whole world envies us, and that is particularly noted in works such as the ones of Luisa Beccaria.
The Art of Movement
The Energy
of Creation
The designer’s recognizable style, which draws inspiration from her homeland, nature, art and classical beauty, is enriched with new, highly studied and surrealist elements that donate a strong three-dimensionality and vivacity. “There are parts of the dresses that look like paintings of abstract painters, we wanted to play a lot with the colors,” revealed Luisa Beccaria while she was checking for the last time her creations in the backstage.
“This Is Impossible!”
“Only If You
Believe It Is.”
The woman of Luisa Beccaria loves the fantasy (and a touch of madness) and she tries to escape into another world whenever it’s possible, without forgetting, however, the importance of reality. She is a little girl in the way she gets emotional in front of life’s simplicity, she is mature in her knowing how to appreciate the enchantment, she is classical in her desire to seek harmony and she is solar in her ability to face the world with a unique force and a conscious lightness.
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In other words, she is an Alice who, after coming back from her “impossible” journey, has acquired the typical awareness that only time and experience can donate. But more than anything else, she is dressed like a person who constantly seeks the splendor of everyday life, the same splendor that she finds in Luisa Beccaria’s clothes and that makes her heart beating, just like an afternoon spent drinking a good tea with the Mad Hatter. And remember: all the best people are mad.
The Wonder
of Everyday
The Carefreeness
of Simplicity
Photographer: @giorgiafuria
