By Amalia Bentivoglio

Photography by Stefano Strippoli

This season’s edition of AltaRomAltaModa was hotter than ever.

The rise in temperature had to do with the French master couturier Jean Paul Gaultier who orchestrated a perfectly chic Parisian invasion. His latest collection, fittingly called La Parisienne, was eccentric, glamorous and obviously fantastique, leaving you wanting encore!

But France wasn’t the only country to take AltaRomAltaModa runways by storm. Africa took a front seat to this year’s couture catwalk with ethno-chic looks. Stella Jean and Christie Brown wowed the audience with beautifully coloured and printed fabrics.

The usual suspects of AltaRomAltaModa, such as Giada Curti, Tony Ward and Abed Mahfouz, were once again pushing creativity to the max. After many seasons, they continue to show no signs of slowing down. Giada Curti always seems to tie the perfect bow with her bridal collections, and this season was no different with black, white and platinum gowns that had a strong modern-fairytale feel. The Red Carpet pieces by Ward and Mahfouz took the black and white cue, but with a little inspiration from the coloured drink of the Gods and poured a little “vino” into their collections.

On the AltaRomAltaModa runway

The newer kids on the block, such as Leonid Alexeev and Natasha Pavluchenko, won’t be fashion rookies for long. Their collections were creative, edgy and beautifully tailored. Tunics, shift dresses and capes, combined with the use of buttery leathers, tactile fabrics and plenty of lace, were vintage renewed at its best. Reminiscent of the ’50s and ’60s, these young designers showed that all that was once old is new again.

Last, but definitely not least, the jewelry designers featured in this year’s Who is On Next? competition exhibited some very exciting work as well. For example, shoe and bag designers, such as Melis Yildiz and Paul Andrew, presented striped flats, polka dot heels and pretty pastel d’Orsays.

The dynamic jewelry-duo, Leda Otto, featured in FAJO earlier this year, was among the finalists in AltaRomAltaModa’s first-ever jewelry edition of Who is on Next? Their collections continue to be chic and unique.

With all this talent in one place — and that place being Rome — it’s no wonder these shows are a fashion fantasy. It seems that Italy’s charm and fashion reputation are growing with every season. As designers from all over the world (Poland, Russia, Lebanon and Haiti to name a few) flock to the nation’s capital, it’s obvious that Rome is regaining its fashion notoriety and is, no doubt, becoming the couture capital of the world once again.