The Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear collection from Versace features micro dresses—that mod, 60’s length—asymmetrical hems, boxy coats, playful (or playlike, or toylike) military buttons, and a restrained color palette of mainly red, black, and a deep, saturated teal. I am often on board with superfluous buttons, but the real beauties of this collection are the bias cut dresses, a new thing for Versace, and the absolutely stunning boots. Leave it to an Italian designer to present badass thigh-high boots for daywear.
The bias is the 45 degree angle across the grid of a woven fabric, in which direction the fabric has greater flexibility and stretch. Fabrics cut in this direction, bias cut, are known for draping beautifully and hugging the body in a way that is fluid and seamless (or seemingly seamless, compared to the complex tailoring/seaming of a fitted dress cut straight), at least in luxury fabrics like silk and satin. They are usually easy to spot as the fabric of the garment and the internal seams necessary to piece together a sufficiently large swathe of fabric are at that 45 degree angle from the major seams. Galliano, for example, especially in his work at Dior, is known for his bias cut dresses.
So these boots above are handsome, yes, chic and witchy, but I was talking about these boots.
Ugh! Beautifully done, Donatella. The sleek silhouette is given a bohemian softness by the elaborate cut-outs and suede finish.
These ones not bad, either. These, still more baroque in their embellishment, seem to me even more blatantly Italian.
images via style.com, click through to the slideshow to see the whole collection
