Elegant luxury
As is often the case, Torrente opened the couture collections for fall-winter 99-2000 in the Opéra salon of the Grand Hôtel amongst immense bouquets of flowers. Madame Torrente-Mett's clients knew that they would find an entire wardrobe elaborated in the haute couture tradition of true luxury. Daytime is dedicated to fairies of the frosty winter chill with immaculate houndstooth check sweaters decorated with white mink plumes over satiny wool pants, a long ivory alpaca kimono coat, and a serpentine bronze leather pantsuit worn with a short jacket in fox and shaved mink. A small dress with a cutlass neckline lined with mink and a thin leather belt or a little wool crepe dress trimmed with mink both possess a unique, subdued elegance. Over a ribbed velvet and rabbit fur sheath is a large, fluffy mohair blanket. While the daytime sweaters are already extravagant with wool and jet black torsades embroidered onto lace, evening wear explodes with dresses embroidered with pearls, rhinestones and ostrich feathers and wasp waistlines adorned with large hand-painted roses. A moonstone-print satin pantsuit, worn with an airy painted chiffon poncho embroidered with a constellation of "comet dust" or a pantsuit with a cowl neck adorned with colored beads are poetic ensembles for this very special new year's eve. Even more spectacular is a black velvet and tulle dress embroidered with twists of chantilly wool and ribbons of mink or a white silk crepe bustier dress with iridescent sequins under a bolero of white swan feathers. The collection is infused with all the magic of haute couture.
Virginie Transon
|
