The Little Il Gufo Gang
Playful Functionality: Il Gufo's Autumn/winter '19 Collection
Il Gufo's AW19 collection takes inspiration from the yarn, material and origin of every garment, that takes you by the hand to discover a new story made up of words and images.
The show begins in Stazione Leopolda, invaded by a mad group of children concealed under layers of down coats, dungarees and accessories. An original fleece puffer jacket for boys, and coy ponchos for more sentimental girls, alternating with traditional designs worn with scarves and hats, all in down.
Functionality is one of the collection's keywords, and stages shapes that are, if possible, increasingly dedicated to timeless comfort. New combinations and materials are explored to reinterpret the most classic garments, such as the patchwork shirt that mixes tartan with Oxford, and the elegant trousers revisited in knit with an elasticated drawstring waist instead of zips and buttons.
For girls, very soft cardigans in mohair gauze worn front and back, and the grey coat with the double petal collar edged in white. Asymmetrical accents are a constant, with pleats, frills and irregular hems emphasised by the juxtaposition of different patterns, such as the tartan and block coloured kilt, where the colour shapes its structure.
The little Il Gufo gang plays, undaunted among the calls of abstract nature, because they are kept warm with well-established materials such as Merino wool in knitwear embellished with embroidery and appliqués, velvet for down jackets and ultra-chic dresses, faux-fur that in outerwear becomes a detail, and gives personality to maxi sweatshirts with patch pockets and jeans with spotted hems.
Little girls wearing denim jeans with pinstripes or glittery polka dots paired with all-white wide-fit blouses with frills affirm the bon-ton appeal of the brand.
Long phrases have been handembroidered in wool, as if they were poetry, on shirt collars and garments. “We've taken back the most authentic and precious
tradition of manufacturing and we've added Italian sweetness and brightness to create a combination of quality and aesthetic choices that leave the readers free to interpret, even making room for fun onomatopoeic effects,” says Alessandra Chiavelli, CEO of Il Gufo.
The colour palette is subdued and tells a story of the open air. Beige, blue and grey alternate with more adventurous colours such as orange, camel and army green. And we can't forget the classic tartans, illuminated this season with a touch of light that we also find in the sumptuous all-lamé evening looks.
To finish, black and white are reinterpreted in a contemporary way in everyday looks such as the fringed check pinafore dress, an essential worn with a petal collar shirt and jumpers embroidered with evocative images, must-haves for boys and girls. The formal evening looks however become super elegant, as a little girl closes the show with a two-tone mikado silk dress with a bodice embellished with sparkling ramage, enveloped in a sculpting overcoat.
This season more than ever, the fluidity in the juxtaposition of shapes, materials and especially colours makes the collection a reassuring and sincere representation of the tradition of the brand.