Brunello Cucinelli’s fall collection raised the bar on what can happen “when imagination and artisanal knowledge work together, aligning to find solutions to achieve the very best,” as Cucinelli put it at a preview. It was less a tug-of-war between ingenuity and craft and more a well-rehearsed duet, “each side knowing when to take the lead and when to step back. It’s about fostering collective creativity.”
The studio team and the artisans clearly considered “going the extra mile” a pastime for amateurs, so they carried on well past it. They indulged their creative instincts in a full-on parade of inventive textures and surfaces: yarns were persuaded into intricate wool lace interlaced with sequins; wool was twisted into elastic fusilli-like fringes cascading down a bomber in a vaguely dreadlock-ish mood; and knitted mohair was teased into buoyant fluffy fringes, its sequined filaments enveloping a sweeping long cape coat. Even the piece that read, at first glance, as a plush mink-soft bomber turned out to be pure wool knit, engineered to illusionistic levels of pillowy fur-like fullness.
Throughout, soft-hued knitwear in a palette suggestive of autumnal spleen was very much dressed for the occasion, embellished with such imaginative artisanal flourish that it earned a promotion to outerwear. Looks were paired with wide-leg corduroys and cargos, lending proceedings a useful day-to-night versatility.
The overall effect felt luxurious, and rather maximalist—a considerable remove from the straightforward cashmere jumpers on which Cucinelli first made his name. Resting on his laurels has never quite appealed, and modest ambition even less so. “It’s no time for minimalism,” he stated. “This is country couture.”
