Born in the U.K. to a Sicilian dad, Antonio Berardi currently lives in London and shows in Paris. Cosmopolitan as he is, it s his Roman Catholic upbringing that he frequently returns to—childhood memories are potent stuff. At the beginning of what was for him a well-balanced show, it seemed like the designer would be content to touch on trends such as transparency, neon colors, and a Stefano Pilati-ish silhouette, and only lightly tweak them with religious references. A hot pink dress, for example, fell like a priest s robes from the model s shoulders. A strapless number with a ruffle spanning the torso and descending to the hem came in cardinal red. And yet another dress, this one sleeveless and fitted, turned to reveal angel s wings along the shoulders.
Later, Berardi addressed the Catholic Madonna-whore complex full-on with looks in either Communion white or black. As innocent and untouchable as his downy dresses with their scroll-like embroideries were meant to be, they were cut in the same severe hourglass shape that Berardi used for a black openwork lace number that afforded a prime view of the briefs New York lingerie maker Jean Yu designed for the show. In other words, it was all sexy as hell—and yet it didn t feel like Berardi was straining for effect.
