The natural world is a lifelong inspiration for Daniel Del Core, and this season he focused on some of its smallest inhabitants: insects.
Creepy crawlies don't immediately scream chic, but Del Core disagrees. He saw beauty in the life cycles and habitats of butterflies and bees, and incorporated them into a collection that was both understated and glamorous.
Some models wore short, elegant draped dresses in forest green or steel gray, while others were wrapped in capes or oversized cream coats adorned with pins. The tailored suits, also in cream, were equally roomy.
Those demure silhouettes gave way to sexier styles, with Del Core removing the tops from evening dresses, furry coats and fitted jackets to create wing-like shapes on the bodice. Some of those wings were adorned with crystals, like on a tight black dress.
Other strappy evening dresses had billowy parts around the front, imitating more delicate wings.
Del Core said he was inspired by the chrysalis, with its protective layers, and the butterfly's wings that sprout from its delicate casing.
The references to nature did not end there. Long knit dresses had striated or waffle textures, resembling beehives or honeycombs. Of the Core he finished them off with gigantic furry wool collars, a nod to the “roughness of nature.”
Some pieces, like a strange multicolor jumpsuit with 3D spikes and the round knitted hoods, big as tree holes, were gimmicky. But the rest was elegant, a wardrobe for social butterflies… and his more discreet sisters.
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