Statement boots began to trend in New York and London Fashion Weeks, so it’s no surprise that designers in Milan are kicking things up a notch.
Aquazzura creative director Edgardo Osorio has always been smart about embracing big trends, so he made sure the boot theme was front and center during his Milan Fashion Week presentation today at the label’s stylish showroom.
Aquazzura displayed a plethora of bohemian-inspired styles — tall boots and booties — surrounded by lush floral arrangements.
Osorio said the designs were made for walking into dinner at Los Angeles’ Chateau Marmont, and he also explored the other side of L.A. dressing — the red carpet — with elegant strappy sandals.
Why the focus on La-La Land this season? “It started with a lot of my friends moving there,” Osorio said. “It feels like L.A. is the new New York.”
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Here, the designer sounds off on the allure of the West Coast, his admiration for Meghan Markle and the brand’s forthcoming accessories capsule.
On showing in Milan for the first time:
“We make our product in Italy, and we were founded in Italy, so it was nice to come back and show the collection here in our showroom in Milan. The city is booming culturally. So much is going on, and it’s interesting to be a part of that. We opened a store here last year, and it’s one of our top locations in the world — it’s doing incredibly well. We also have a shop in La Rinascente.”
On the inspiration for the collection:
“The theme is ‘Nomads.’ It started with a lot of friends of mine moving from New York to L.A. People are dressing down in L.A., but they still want to keep their style and attitude. I was looking at a lot of images from Kate Moss in the 1990s when she was dating Johnny Depp. I loved the way she dressed. She was this super-cool girl in mainly boots and booties. A lot of the inspiration for the boots is Balkan bohemia — the embroidery and the capes and coats they used to wear. I liked embracing this attitude. Then you go to the polar opposite, because in L.A., you literally go from jeans to red carpet. This whole other area of the collection is a little bit ‘90s — sophisticated, a lot of clean, strappy sandals. Even the crystals are much more graphic, much more streamlined. You have a lot of red carpet and evening in every heel height and a big focus on pumps. People come to us for a pump with a twist, and that’s doing extremely well.”
The designer’s love of Los Angeles:
“It’s very relaxed and cool. I love the art scene that’s popping up there — Frieze was just there — and it’s an exciting time. There’s a lot of culture, artists and youth, so it feels like L.A. is the new New York. I wanted to celebrate that.”
On Meghan Markle continuing to wear Aquazzura frequently:
“I admire her. She has incredible style and is an amazing role model. I’m deeply honored she wears the shoes all the time. She wears them very well.”
On the brand’s new accessories collection:
“One of the things I’m excited about is our first foray into accessories in April. We’re launching a collection called ‘Aquazzura Escapes,’ which is beach bags, beach shoes, costume jewelry [through collaborations]. Escaping felt very Aquazzura. First foray into launching accessories. I find all these categories quite exciting.”
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