There is a hard-to-miss Omega watch ad near the Four Seasons in Milan, featuring Nicole Kidman in a Luisa Beccaria dress. And before today s show, the designer s PR representative was quick to mention a fan letter the actress had sent, raving about the lovely, frothy confection. What s behind Beccaria s loyal and growing Hollywood following? "She makes them pretty," remarked one editor. "Her clothes don t scare them."
Does that mean she plays it too safe? Certainly, there was nothing demonstrably trendy on Beccaria s spring runway, and when she did nod in that direction—with a couple of short, strapless party frocks in washed silk —it didn t quite gel. Their bubble hems seemed out of place among the more demure knee-length offerings in eyelet, scalloped lace, and hazy watercolor florals. But when she stayed closer to her comfort zone, her clothes stood out for all the right reasons—take a shirtwaist dress with cap sleeves in organza printed with an abstract gold wash. The collection s lone suit, a cape-back jacket and a pleated skirt, came in the same Klimt-esque fabric. The showstopper arrived a few looks later, a champagne silk-charmeuse gown worthy of Carole Lombard. Bias-cut thirties styles have been gliding down many a runway, but Beccaria s looked the most elegant and the best-constructed of the lot. If she only does one thing, there s no denying she does it awfully well.
