Paris, France — When the clearly glamorous Jennifer Lopez stepped out onto the red carpet at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles last March for the premier of the film Air, which her husband Ben Affleck directed and acted in, she was wearing an Antonio Grimaldi couture gown. The high neck crystal embroidered chartreuse gown was from the Italian designer’s Fall 2021 couture collection and it clearly stunned. Antonio Grimaldi presented  his Fall/Winter Couture Collection 2023-2024 during Haute Couture fashion week in Paris in July and the effect was equally as stunning. Entitled Imperfect Beauty, the collection draws its inspiration from the majestic and monumental Victory of Samothrace one of the most famous statues at the Louvre museum and a masterpiece of Greek Hellenistic art. 

Couture gowns from the Antonio Grimaldi Fall/Winter Couture Collection 2023-2024. ©Photo Paolo Lanzi/Gorunway.com, courtesy Antonio Grimaldi. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

The statue of the winged (and headless) goddess is wrapped in a light tunic and the masterpiece is a work in which technique, craftsmanship and beauty all come into play, not unlike Mr. Grimaldi’s 2023-2024 Couture Collection. The collection of 27 haute couture evening gowns were characterized by asymmetric and sinuous lines. Among the underlying themes in the collection were a number of mini or maxi capes to create a winged effect. One shouldered dresses complete the collection. Luxurious detailing by expert craftsmen included embroideries of hard resins and embroidered threads. Featured fabrics included crepe, gazar, lamé and silk velvets and leather. And in keeping with the winged theme, there was a flurry of feathers: ostrich, swan, white peacock and marabou decorating the garments.  The spectacular runway show was held last July 2nd in the MACRO Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome. 

“Inspiration comes from such a grandiose work that, though mutilated and scarred by time, has become an exemplification of classical beauty, a symbol of measure and ordered harmony. A figure that teaches us the value of imperfection. Although it was rediscovered without her head and arms, she retains her splendor, which is hereby enhanced. In an age when beauty has become an unattainable model, the Nike of Samothrace represents its authentic value, freed from the cage of perfection, » explains the designer. Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.antoniogrimaldi.com/