Absolutely regal and precious is the SS16 collection of one of the lions of Italian high fashion, Renato Balestra, a pillar of the Made in Italy tradition. Soaring with his last few collections, all refined and inspired, he has stayed true to his audience with the latest Spring/Summer show which is perfect, complete, and hyper-feminine.
Sublime cuts, masterful tailoring, silhouettes and forms from the style manual: authentic masterpieces of style from the courtier of La Dolce Vita, inspired by Magna Graeacia. Peplums, ash white, side panels and long flowing scarves of silk, golden bracelets, dazzling embroideries, befitting an Olympian goddess, or a modern day Goddess who has descended to earth, to Rome to be specific, to demonstrate that the right couture dress is truly divine.
Everything is fluid and soft, and with harmony the Greek line flows into a series of orange gradient print dresses, a true spectacle for the eyes. Long, draped dresses in fiery shades of sunset with daring slits in the back and front and occasionally central openings. Well-studied slits, not in any way vulgar, that serve to accentuate the lines of the female form in an elegant nonchalant manner.
What can be said of this collection if not that it is a demonstration of how dazzling and alive high fashion can be when dreams, poetry, and harmony and pure beauty are wed? The sunray pleats, offered in white and orange and in an almost okra yellow, are some of the best pieces of this edition of AltaRoma. A special mention goes out to the origami dresses with intricate engravings and ivory and grey pearl panels layered one on top of another with extreme perfection. The wedding dress also deserves credit, at first tightly bound around the body, the white mantle flares opens like butterfly wings, to reveal a dream dress, with a draped bustier layered to create a delicate gradient effect of ivory and pearl.
