“Made in Italy” is a broad umbrella concept under which innumerable smaller bottegas (workshops) sit—from tailors to textile makers, and specialists who work with leather, raffia, and other materials. It would seem, then, that differences of scale on the production end are a given, so why are so few piccolo-sized brands on or adjacent to the Fashion Week schedule? They do exist.
One of them is ATXV, a three-year-old unisex line founded by Antonio Tarantini, a man with decades of experience working alongside industry giants like John Galliano, Domenico Dolce, and Donatella Versace. The designer, who drapes by hand, has a great sensitivity to materials, especially when it comes to their transparencies, weights, and luster. One of his see-through lurex numbers was worn by the Italian singer and fashion leader Mahmood, as well as in Dua Lipa’s “Illusion” music video. Twisting and draping are Tarantini’s signature techniques, and they were well displayed when Paloma Elsesser appeared on the cover of M: Le Monde in one of his neo-Grecian dresses. “I am not a fan of clothes that constrict your body,” said the designer on a call. “Maybe because I worked so much with those kinds of clothes I now prefer to work with effortless shapes.”
Madame Grès, fashion’s classicist nonpareil, is, and has been, having a moment. Models are floating down runways in gathered jersey dresses with fluid movement left and right. Tarantini’s take on the ancient world is a bit sexier and more obviously physical; you won’t find sfogliatelle-like pleats here, rather the excitement comes from the way the fabric has been twisted and pulled, and the contrast between where it’s been pulled taught or left loose. There’s a clear sense that hands have touched the cloth. Given the times, Tarantini wanted, he said, “to give something strong, but in a really soft way.”
Among his starting points were summer wardrobe essentials like the classic white cotton T-shirt and tank. He reimagined the former in several ways, including for a side-zipped draped skirt. Tarantini devised one of the best takes on the season’s ubiquitous tank; his is made of a opaque cotton. Another knit version has rolled hems at the waist and sleeve ends. An asymmetric draped one-piece dress-up-or-down dress (look 15) has a tank neckline with a tank strap on one shoulder and a spaghetti strap on the other.