Fall represented a major shift for Luca Orlandi. He bid adieu to Bryant Park in favor of a small West Chelsea gallery and, instead of a runway show, presented a tight collection of 20 looks. "It s very couture, so we wanted people to see it up close," explained Orlandi s newly installed creative director, Raul Melgoza.
Melgoza cited as inspiration artist Ernesto Caivano s exquisite drawings of a medieval love story in which a long-separated couple sends messages through birds. But this is clearly a new day at Luca Luca—the execution almost qualified as subtle, particularly when you consider last Fall s glitzy après-ski fest. The avian and woodland theme appeared in a winglike caped sleeve on a plain silk dress or tiny peacock-feather paillettes embroidered on a satin L.B.D.
In all, it was a thoughtfully designed, luxurious collection that hit all the necessary wardrobe points for a lady-who-10022s—i.e., an effortless jersey dress with a draped neck for lunch, a broadtail shift with a sliver of jeweled neckline for cocktails, and a strapless Chantilly lace gown delicately worked with marabou for night. It will be interesting to see how Orlandi s customers adjust to flying under the radar.
