ALTUZARRA | RESORT 2013

All eyes were on young French-Basque designer, Joseph Altuzarra, before the debut of his Resort 2013 collection. After he won the 2011 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and recently took home the Swarovski Award for Womenswear the pressure had only intensified, as we waited to see what Altuzarra would pull out of the bag next. Fortunately, the American-based designer didn’t fail to impress with Resort 2013.

The collection was presented in his downtown New York studio and pulled together a somewhat Rastafarian feel with tough urban cuts. Altuzarra Resort 2013 epitomized that sense of bohemian dogma that has embedded itself in numerous works throughout the season.

Altuzarra’s body-defining dresses were the standout pieces of his Resort 2013 line. Many looked as if they were two pieces put together; a striped chambray tank top ticked into a pencil skirt, and a long-sleeved tee with bustier detail paired with a slim-fit skirt and finished off with ruffling down the front echoed his approach to wearable and easy fashion. Altuzarra explained that his clients loved the look of a carefully crafted and pieced together ensemble but equally appreciated the slip-on-and-go ease of single piece. In other words, Altuxarra’s all-in-ones’ do the styliing so you don’t have to.

His separates were as dazzling as his one-pieces; a gypsy blouse embellished with sequins down the sleeves and a beautifully structured tweed skirtsuit boasted fine craftsmanship. Elsewhere, the Altuzarra Resort 2013 collection saw a pair of skinny jodhpur trousers in ikat silk translated a feeling of elegance without being ostentatious.

Altuzarra’s looks, though extremely detailed and embellished with all manner of beads and sequins, weren’t gaudy, simply inspired by tribes like the Masia, who the designer looked to when researching for the collection. He also interpreted their tribal customs of wrapping and layering different fabrics.

- Ellen Stewart
- Photos courtesy of Altuzarra