16Arlington RTW Fall 2022
Just before the COVID-19 outbreak, 16Arlington — a hot, young label buzzing with celebrity and industry attention alike — staged its first runway show on Valentine’s Day. The excitement was palpable: guests received red roses on their seats; designers Marco Capaldo and Federica “Kikka” Cavenati went all out with feathers, sequins and fierce leather dresses; and Lena Dunham made a surprise appearance in a stunning lamé gown, then rushed backstage to hug Capaldo and Cavenati and declare her love.
It was hard not to instantly fall for the designer duo, who were equally kind and talented, quickly making a name for themselves for their fun-loving, glamorous aesthetic.
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More than two years later, this wasn’t the return to the catwalk anyone had planned: The absence of Cavenati, who passed away at age 28 last November, was felt by everyone at the fall 2022 show.
The setting might have been more pared-back and the mood more sombre, but Capaldo let the light in and delivered a collection that reflected “everything (Cavenati) brought to the table”: beauty, infectious laughter and plenty of wit.
“She would have hated the attention but she deserves every bit of it,” said Capaldo, who evolved some of the looks from her previous sketches and sourced feathers from the brand’s archives that had been treated with dye by Cavenati herself years ago.
You could easily see her working away in the 16Arlington studio in one of the jersey, tie-dye sets from the new range or playing dress-up with some of the sequined separates and funky feather bucket hats.
She might not have been the kind to put herself out there or over-promote herself on social media, but she always dressed the part and shared her flair for glamour and style with other women around her.
Capaldo showed parts of his own journey in the collection, adding plexiglass tear-drop embellishments on minidresses or crystal embroideries in the shapes of tears. “Out of some of the most painful moments, something really beautiful manifested,” said the designer, who also wanted to channel ease and lightness, adding boiled wool and jersey separates into the mix. “That’s how Kikka made people feel,” he added.
The show ended with a series of all-white looks: Cutout knitted skirts, sequined column gowns, or leather miniskirts.
“We wanted to end the show in a very pure, white and angelic manner, which is very fitting because if Kikka was one thing, she was an angel,” added Capaldo.
He plans on continuing the brand, as a way of keeping Cavenati’s legacy alive and sharing her vision with the world.
“Marco loved and appreciated every fibre of Kikka as an artist and a woman, and that is one of the central ways she lives on,” wrote Dunham in the show notes.
Launch Gallery: 16Arlington RTW Fall 2022
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