In March, Azzaro parted ways with Vanessa Seward, its longtime designer, and the spot she vacated has not yet been filled. Brand reps promise a revelation in September. But time, tide, and the fashion calendar wait for no man or woman. The studio team, together with an unnamed outside consultant, put together the label s Resort range. It didn t necessarily suggest a distinct new direction for the label—on the contrary, it dug back through the Azzaro archives for inspiration—but it did imply a decisive break with the sixties-leaning, kitten-cute style Seward had proposed. Gone were the bows and the frills; the seventies, not the sixties, were the new decade of choice. Overall, simplicity reigned, gaudied up a bit with metal mesh and jeweled details. (The studio had been thinking of the gems of the Romanovs.) If there wasn t a strong point of view on display, there were enough party dresses to hold fans through the holidays.
