Inside Altuzarra NYFW Fall/Winter 2024 Collection
With his Fall Winter 2024 Collection, Joseph Altuzarra picks up where last season ended–evolving and rethinking the idea of a modern wardrobe. The everyday and utilitarian coexist with the precious and the rare, reflecting the way people live and dress today.
“I wanted this collection to feel, in some ways, like a ‘collection’ in a different sense of the word, meaning: collected, over time, passed from generation to generation, and gathered over many travels and discoveries,” says Altuzarra.
Taking inspiration from the groundbreaking play “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen, as well as the stirring and melancholic photography of Deborah Turbeville, this season also touches on womanhood, theater, and presentation. Nods to performance are seen throughout, from the ballet to the circus. Altuzarra explores the negotiation between public and private self, and ultimately, the power that can be derived from fashion–as an art form, and tool of expression.
Different time periods, from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1980s to the present, collide within timeless silhouettes rendered in playful volumes. Borrowing from the language of theater, Pierrot-inspired ruffles, cut in chunky knit, furnish sleeves and necklines; tapered knit pants hug ankles and calves, evoking Nureyev-esque leg warmers; body-skimming, fluid bias-cut dresses flutter from the body. This season embraces movement, the way a garment empowers it. The collection also presents more variety than ever before.
Intricately-treated fabrics embody personal history: washed silks evoke the warmth and sensuality of something having been worn over and over again. A diverse but neutral-forward color palette is underscored by seven shades of ivory. A selection of French floral lace adorns hems and sleeves. Hand painted horse prints, inspired by vintage souvenir scarves from Paris, nod to Joseph‘s own passion for horse riding. Outerwear fabrications also draw from the personal: grandfather’s waxed duster, grandmother’s faux fur.
Travel-inspired accessories embrace equestrian influences: from oversized totes in leather and suede, to a practical, hobo-shaped bucket with custom Altuzarra medallion closures. Playful nods to theater are seen in the ‘Drum’ Bag, with its trapeze-like shape and harlequin-inspired paneling. Evening bags are a continued focus of the designer, from the ‘Vanity’ Bag to the ‘Frame Bag’, a lady bag with a clasp.
In honor of the anniversary of Altuzarra’s first ever show — and fifteen years as a brand — the collection will be presented in a salon-style runway show.
“Our first show was familial and intimate. My mom baked cookies for the backstage, we played music on a boombox, friends helped me clip lights on the ceiling and manned the door. A lot has changed over the last fifteen years, but one thing remains the same: Altuzarra is personal. It is about family, friends, and community. I loved the idea of coming full circle and paying homage to those who have made Altuzarra what it is today,” says Altuzarra.
