Ever the aesthete, Niccolò Pasqualetti presented a collection that was at once sculptural and sensitive. Drawing inspiration from the stark, monolithic work of Richard Serra, the designer translated his abstract and architectural works into soft, fluid motion.
Held in the long hall of the Palais de Tokyo, Pasqualetti shaped the body in new ways, such as gently rounded, cocooning outer shells — not quite coat, not quite dress — that transformed with a flip and a snap into shorter numbers.
In that way the collection was also a lesson in modularity with pieces that reconfigured to create different looks, such as a leather bomber with removable sleeves, or several looks with detachable shoulder pads that could be worn as both armor and accessory.
That ethos held true for the LVMH prize finalist’s own work. Pasqualetti collaborated with eBay to remake one of his archival garments from a previous collection, which became a swishy sequined gown with a safety pin front.
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“What I work toward is to create pieces that can last and I like to work with carryovers and shapes that represent the brand. So it was quite a good fit,” he said of the partnership.
Sustainability was not an afterthought either. Two looks featured Circ’s recycled lyocell, marking the material’s first appearance at Paris Fashion Week on tiered, fluid white dresses.
Other garments were constructed entirely from geometric shapes delicately stitched together showing the slightest hint of skin, while swimwear punctuated the collection with slinky, asymmetrical suits, which Pasqualetti paired with sequined skirts. Other looks completely enswathed the body in an almost monk-like meditation on the purity of fabric.
Sculptural collars gave length to the neck, while oversized safety pins were a recurring motif, and a brush-as-a-bag demonstrated his love of unique objects.
Echoing Serra’s minimalist works, Pasqualetti’s strength is in crafting deceptively simple garments that transform with ease.
