Altuzarra Fall Winter 2022
NEW-YORK, USA – FEBRUARY 13: A model walks the runway during the Altuzarra Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion show as part of the New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Maritime fashion doesn’t always land. Done wrong, it’s lumpy knitted sweaters, bad anchor motifs, and unseemly sailor’s hats à la Popeye. Done right, it’s… well, it’s Joseph Altuzarra’s fall winter ‘22 collection. Inspired by “the idea of a sailor that’s seduced and then transformed into a mermaid”, FW ‘22 is a love letter to life on the high seas. Models swept down the runway in chunky striped knitwear (lump-free and drool-inducing) and cashmere snoods, or military-inspired outerwear belted with woven ropes or gold chains that evoked a pirate’s loot. 

Elsewhere, elegant day dresses in supple crepe de chine or soft wool were tie-dyed, an homage to one of Altuzarra’s most enduring signatures. Tied and draped artfully across the body, it felt as if the models had found themselves stranded on a deserted island and fashioned the chicest castaway attire known to man. And just when you felt like the oceanic references couldn’t get any better, you had Gigi Hadid emerge, newly-peroxide blonde hair slick and wet, draped in a mermaid-like gold gown made of dozens of scale-like oversized paillettes.

Altuzarra Fall Winter 2022
NEW-YORK, USA – FEBRUARY 13: A model walks the runway during the Altuzarra Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion show as part of the New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Altuzarra—who returned to New York City after a long stint in Paris during the pandemic—showed the collection in the lobby of the Woolworth Building in Manhattan, with show notes that included a copy of Herman Melville’s classic novel ‘Moby Dick’ (the bookish designer has long gifted his fashion week attendees books as mementos). “I wanted the collection to not only evoke the intrepid and adventurous spirit of sailors and world travelers, but also the mystery and darkness of the ocean’s depths, populated with mermaids and mythological creatures,” he wrote in the collection’s notes.

It’s interesting that Altuzarra is taking this moment to explore the importance of myths. During the pandemic his output hit fever pitch, including a sell-out line of homewares and a new brand, Altu. Dedicated to ‘genderful’ clothing, Altu has introduced the Altuzarra sensibility to a whole new generation of consumers. Troye Sivan debuted the label when he wore a slinky black dress and stompy platform boots to the 2021 Met Gala (the similarly styled ‘Cutout’ dress is now a bestseller), and Justin Bieber is among the growing cohort of A-list fans. With his feet now firmly planted back on American soil, Joseph Altuzarra seems to be going about growing his own myth: as one of his country’s most important and enduring designers.

Altuzarra Fall Winter 2022
NEW-YORK, USA – FEBRUARY 13: A model walks the runway during the Altuzarra Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion show as part of the New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)