by antonela fredianelli

When discussing his latest collection, Antonio Tarantini unveiled a poetic sensibility that beautifully echoes in his clothing designs, which exude the enchanting aura of free verse. His creations under the ATXV label celebrate the human form and maintain the artisanal touch.

Tarantini’s creative process is rooted in physicality as he directly drapes fabric on a form or body. He weaves narratives through fabric manipulation, intricate cuts, and layered textures, resulting in a unique framing of the body. Take, for instance, this season’s half-body suits, like the sleek black one paired with a long taupe jersey featuring rolled and twisted details. The interplay of weight and color between these materials creates both depth and flat planes, akin to the way a subtext completes a sentence.

Throughout his collection, Tarantini orchestrated many captivating harmonies. Whether it’s the interplay of fabrics with each other and the skin through layering, cut-outs, and sheer elements, or his dialogue with nature and history, the results are truly compelling. The collection drew its inspiration from Tarantini’s deep affection for the night sky. “One of my greatest passions is gazing at the sky, especially on summer nights by the beach. The stars hold so much beauty and countless stories, especially within the constellations,” he shared. “I sought to capture a fragment of this celestial beauty and weave it into our earthly existence, blending these elements with the contemporary world we inhabit.”

In today’s world, there seems to be a longing for an affirmation of our humanity, our physical essence. Perhaps it’s a response to the overwhelming power of nature and the seemingly boundless potential of technology, which can sometimes make us feel insignificant. In ancient times, myths served as a way to make sense of the world, to establish order and understand forces greater than ourselves. We still share this need. Tarantini’s response to this yearning led him to create lingerie. “Why lingerie?” he pondered rhetorically. “Because, once again, I looked up to the sky, and Venus, residing in the constellation of Cancer, now graces the Louvre in Paris. Lingerie is quintessentially Parisian, so I decided to craft these dresses that appear as two pieces but are one.”

From fringe swaying on Japanese cotton pants evoking Pegasus to a delicate lurex sweater drawing inspiration from Leonardo DiCaprio’s chainmail armor in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, Tarantini’s collection connects to the past and converges with his own aspirations. He perceives a similarity between his creative approach and the director’s methodology, aiming to fuse seemingly disparate elements to create a fresh vision. It’s a testament to Tarantini’s artistic talent that his work carries no trace of the influences from the fashion houses he worked for before embarking on his solo journey to share his innermost inspirations. ATXV is essentially a one-man venture, where passion transforms into artistry to celebrate the human body. While Tarantini’s work exudes an air of classicism, his endeavors, as seen in this collection, bridge the past with the future, guided by the stars.