ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories: Slightly Monastic

Saturday, 23 February 2013

Slightly Monastic | Antonio Berardi FW 2013/14

Six or seven years ago, the very idea that London might ever produce credible red-carpet designers seemed absurd. Well, for fall 2013 Antonio Berardi swept that preconception into the past, with the majestic line of trains he sent out in a stunning finale. You’ll notice the trains are not the kind that puddle in the wake of a commonplace mermaid gown. They fall in a stately but cool way from the shoulders of narrow dresses and tuxedo jumpsuits, and they’re studded in the back with a scattered geometric pattern of crystal. Berardi explained how he’s engineered those trains to provide all the front, back, and side-on views a red-carpet voyager needs to stand out on her long, scary progress in front of cameras. “I wanted the construction to look slightly monastic, but modern and clean, and still with a sense of femininity. I put embroidery on the back, and sometimes a glimpse of it from the side, so there’s something to look at from every angle. I put shanks in the trains so they don’t flow out too far as you walk.”

Actually, it’s reaching the stage where Berardi’s expertise in this tricky technical area is not such a well-kept secret. In recent months, he’s dressed Jessica Chastain, Cate Blanchett, Beyoncé, and Chloë Moretz part of a growing following that proves he’s earning a foothold on the Hollywood stylists’ approved list, along with fellow Londoners Marios Schwab and, of course, Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. Three examples! As we all know in fashion, that makes a trend.

Berardi isn’t solely an eveningwear specialist, though. He also cuts great tailoring this time working his way through a tabard-like idea on jackets and splicing contrasting fabrics into dresses. But it’s the strength of that finale that is likely to move his career into higher gear this season, and, with luck, to the Academy Awards.