Genny’s fall 2026 show closed to the strains of “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” by Prince. It was an apt description of how the woman imagined by creative director Sara Cavazza Facchini might feel. The show opening had already set the tone: classical melodies interrupted by an electronic beat—a metaphor for late 18th-century Neoclassicism translated into the present day. “I was inspired by the ‘Marie Antoinette Style’ exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, but I didn’t want that reference to feel removed from reality,” the designer explained. “I like to imagine women leaving the court to experience their most special engagements in the dynamism of a metropolis.”
The echo of 18th-century taste resonated in decorative flourishes reimagined as structural elements, airy volumes, and peplos-inspired silhouettes whose movement and construction recalled the petals of an upturned flower. Through reduction, those historical codes were reworked to align with the effortless attitude of contemporary women. Ruffles and flounces appeared to unfurl, shaping dresses and jumpsuits, accentuating necklines and shoulders across blouses and coats. Bows were conceived as knots—at times encrusted with rhinestones—fastening jackets or applied to lapels, belts, and footwear. Oversized taffeta bows at the waist became functional components in the design of trousers. Feathers—embellishing knitwear, shirts, and dresses—lent a note of theatricality to a femininity that was knowing, almost mischievous. Body jewelry, worn over or beneath blouses, was a focal point.
Long, sweeping skirts coexisted with sharply tailored suits with a faintly dandy spirit, underscoring the fluid interplay of contrasts within the garments’ architecture. With animal print, the designer sought to channel women’s most instinctive desires into everyday dressing, while also evoking the strength and energy of an archival leopard dress worn by Yasmeen Ghauri in the 1990s. Georgette, silk velvet, bouclé mohair, chiffon, and wool contributed to a sumptuous aesthetic, while flashes of fuchsia and deep teal energized a palette that moved between cream, black, and brown.
