How does one create a contemporary collection? It is not by making clothes to define a moment, but rather, by making clothes which reflect a moment, encapsulating time in all of its bright complexities. These modern daydreams meet daring and dynamic in the Fall/Winter 2021-2022 collection by Nina Ricci, a bright and truly contemporary range speckled with the intricacy of detail and design.

Nina Ricci exudes bold, powerful, confident. In a circular space, all-white save for a series of empty electric blue chairs lining the walls, the collection is unveiled in a buoyant, energetic digital launch, a synth beat as colorful, as bright, as stimulating as the garments themselves. A feat of dynamic style, Nina Ricci has created a collection constructed in the cross-section of form and function, an unendingly interesting vision of contemporary design.

No two pieces in the collection are the same, yet they are all alike, a coherent swab taken from  a single, vibrant petri. Muted versions of vivid colors span the palette of the collection; a toned down lime green, neon blue, electric orange, desaturated baby pink and violet, undercut with deep shades of navy to balance the spectrum.

Silhouettes and volume take on new roles as collection focal points: each look is deliberately tapered and cut, flaring out from the shoulders or waist, boxy or bulky, form-fitting or curve-baring, structured with Nina Ricci’s vision of the present and future, the past an irrelevant memory of monotonous neutrals and sleek-yet-predictable cuts. 

With Nina Ricci, a coat is not just a coat, but a structured, layered cape with complex folds and pockets; a shirt is not just a shirt, but a vivid button-down with a flashy orange print, a splash of color on a simple design; a hat is not just a hat, but the simple, rounded top-piece to complete a look to its very end, singular in its color and shape, a member from a collection which is chic and contemporary because, like the moment it reflects, it does not take itself too seriously.

Standout looks of the collection embrace individuality and an almost overwhelming sense of pointed construction, the nuances that go into making something elaborate feel seamlessly easy. A lime green suit is structured not with buttons, but with a zip-up fastener and rounded hems, a collar that rises up above the back of the neck. 

While an ivory cape is made of a thick puffer material, a longer jacket is sheer and baby pink, two opposing sides of outerwear. An asymmetrical vest is simple, yet a statement, with large black buttons crossing from one shoulder to the opposite hip and a hem that nearly brushes the ankles.

Nina Ricci harkens to a place ready-to-wear fashion has not been in some time, one in which the rules are elasticized, bent and stretched over color and volume again and again. View the full FW21-22 collection and shop Nina Ricci here.