The Forever Wardrobe
Curate a closet of super-luxe basics with Italian heritage brand Agnona
If you’re looking for modern, minimal, couture-quality knitwear, look to Agnona. Founded as a fabric specialist in 1953, the Italian heritage brand’s signature vicuña, cashmere, alpaca and camel are some of the most luxurious fine wools in the world. Back then, it provided textiles to expert dressmakers and internationally renowned couturiers, and over 60 years later its quality has not been compromised. Even the simplest of items are transformed into ultra-desirable investment pieces in the hands of the label’s artistic director Simon Holloway.
When the British designer was appointed at the brand in 2015, he wasted no time in delving into the house’s opulent archives, where he noticed the seasonal use of soft nude colors. Since his debut for fall/winter 2016, he’s built upon this ultra-chic baseline palette by methodically broadening it out into bolder spiced shades, like saffron and cumin, as well as rich toffee and caramel hues. For spring/summer 2019, the collection opened with its traditional earthy beiges (the color of the season, as it happens) before blossoming into golden yellow and pure white.
While it’s Agnona’s colors that arrest your attention, it is the intricate detail that holds it. This season, vicuña (the most precious of noble fibers) was woven as poplin to create a premium-feel trench coat and tailored separates that envelop the body in beautifully crisp silhouettes. Elsewhere, a softly tailored, sand-colored wool suit is the epitome of modern power dressing for women who want to look sophisticated but not severe. As a master of innovation, the brand is also renowned for its denim, which is spun from an ultra-soft wool and cashmere-blend, and double-faced crepe de chine in an authentic blue.
The beauty of Agnona lies in this ability to be at once contemporary and practical (vicuña is waterproof and feather-light), but also sumptuous and effortless. There is a duality to SS19 in that each piece could easily slot into both your city and vacation wardrobe. Eveningwear is well catered to with silk organza pieces offering a demure alternative to glitzy cocktail dresses. Sportswear silhouettes are also part of the brand’s history – while they may not be the pieces you’ll hit the gym or pound the pavement in, they certainly tap into our desire for an elevated downtime uniform, and there are few outfits more indulgent than head-to-toe cashmere.
So, whether you’re dressing up or down, for the office or for a far-flung adventure, Agnona’s quiet minimalism has you covered.