The Nina Ricci Fall/Winter 2023 collection marks Harris Reed’s debut as Creative Director at the Maison. Shot through with femininity and frivolity, the collection takes its cues from the romantic drama of the Maison’s couture shows in the exuberant 1980s and 1990s era, expressed at Nina Ricci in lashings of micro-pleated tulle, bold polka dots, jewel tones, and audacious silhouettes. For Fall, those signatures are passed through Reed’s gender-fluid lens to comprise magnetic tailoring, high-octane loungewear, extravagant outerwear and spotlight-grabbing gowns – all energized by larger- than-life accessories.
“As a queer kid growing up in Arizona, French fashion was my escape. Nina Ricci felt like my idealization of Paris: it had a dreamlike romanticism, with a deep respect for femininity, but it ultimately felt light-hearted and accessible to every kind of woman. For my inaugural collection for Nina Ricci, I wanted to nod to the Maison’s extraordinary history and at the same time to reinterpret those feminine codes for a modern consumer in a poetic, humorous and fluid way. I like to dress individuals who want to have fun in clothes that have meaning and purpose. I’m so excited to usher in a daring new era at Nina Ricci that I hope will be more inclusive and exciting than ever before,” says Harris Reed, Creative Director of Nina Ricci.
The collection is playful in proportion and silhouette, with an optimistic colour palette and youthful spirit that both nods to the archive and chimes with today’s pop-culture predilections. Tailoring, eveningwear, sportswear and denim combine in a day-to-night wardrobe proposition that fizzes with femininity. Cocooning and floor-sweeping outerwear in faux-fur stripes and cheetah print meets its match in sequin-embellished loungewear. For evening, cropped cocktail dresses in taffeta come with tulle-pumped skirts, while gowns in polka-dot or micro-pleated tulle are adorned with outlandish bows and sport fishtail hems. Every look is elevated by bold platform heels, underlining the collection’s glamorous attitude.
Couture-inflected materials reference the refined flamboyance of the Maison’s archive, mixed in with modern-day staples: taffeta, tulle, Chantilly lace and double-faced crepe mingle with denim, leather and faux fur.