The splendour of her ceremonial robes is the finest coup d’oeil ever seen. A renewed interpretation of Ralph & Russo’s romantic sensibility is unleashed for Autumn/Winter 2015-2016, manifesting in sensual femininity and sexy sophistication. The collection is a spectacle of love-laden wonders; a tour de force of elaborate design and labour-intensive artistry testifying to why – in no time – Ralph & Russo have instilled the Haute back into Couture. The silhouettes belong to a woman resolutely assertive. Armour-like tailleurs are encrusted with crystal and pearl mosaics, and dense ogival motifs adorn structured jackets wherefrom grand ovate forms shell out dramatically in the essence of a Fabergé egg. In a subtle demonstration of pure technical wizardry, motifs on elaborate tone-on-tone embroideries – silk and metallic threadwork and ornate micro-beaded floral reliefs unearthed in Lesage’s archives of the 1960s – are meticulously matched to geometrical perfection in flawless tailoring.
