New arty references, the concept of memory and utilitarian elements infiltrated the sophisticated and tailoring-filled world of Ilenia Durazzi for spring 2024.
Gaining confidence season after season, the Italian designer continued to build on her refined aesthetic, showing new range within her brand’s core codes, which include her ever-present equestrian inspiration, fascination for contemporary art, passion for rationalist architecture and female empowerment.
For one, her precise lines and sharp eye for detail were seen in a series of deconstructed outerwear — from raincoats to parkas — which made for a refreshing addition to her sartorial signatures, here coming with tweaks, like unexpected slits on the front of blazer jackets in cool wool.
Asymmetric skirts nodding to the shape of saddles, separates in supple leather and riding boots were still central to Durazzi’s vision, and flanked by crisp poplin shirts and crafty knits that enhanced the tactile quality of the collection.
One of the most eye-catching pieces — a skirt embellished with removable panels — evoked the concept of memory that Durazzi wanted to explore this season by nodding to handkerchiefs embroidered with love messages and once handed by mothers and girlfriends to men in the navy, she said.
The designer explained the choice of portraying models on clay pedestals to wink to Land Art, artists such as Piero Manzoni and Joseph Beuys, as well as a way to celebrate women. To this end, she titled the collection “Monument to Herself” and cited as inspiration Judy Chicago’s installation “The Dinner Party.”
This collection was another solid effort that confirmed Durazzi has a clear vision to match her experienced hand — all assets that could come in handy in finding her own seat at a fashion table that currently has many empty chairs of key creative posts.
