The Altuzarra Fall 2025 Woman Has a Complicated Romantic History and a Great Wardrobe

By The Citizen on February 8, 2025

It’s not untrue that men are designing a disproportionate majority of luxury womenswear, and the industry’s talent pool could use a bit of diversification (Veronica Leoni at Calvin Klein is a good start!), but Joseph Altuzarra has always been exceptionally attuned to real women, our complexities and what we want to wear, despite identifying as a guy.

Fall 2025, revealed Saturday morning in an all-white (even the carpet) room at the Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan, is a prime example of this. This season’s collection-relevant book, gifted to each guest, was Emily Brontë’s tragically romantic novel “Wuthering Heights” — it felt like Altuzarra might be offering a rather dark prelude to Valentine’s Day. But there’s ultimately something inspiring about the collection and the story — or, more accurately, the woman — behind it.

“This season, the focus shifts from narrative to a singular, compelling character — a woman who wears her history as armor, unafraid to show her scars,” Altuzarra wrote in the show notes. “This collection is a map of the woman’s loves and losses.” She’s described as “unapologetic” and “fearless,” but still vulnerable, and her (very chic) wardrobe reflects that.

In many looks, she’s elegantly bundled-up (as we’re all trying to be this week) in flowing coats, heavy knits, ankle-length skirts and tall boots; these more utilitarian looks are then interspersed with, and balanced out by, a number of sensual, languid dresses — a category in which Altuzarra always excels — in both chiffons and luxurious silks. Several looks also marry the practical (heavy coats, ample arm and leg coverage) with the softly feminine (mini skirts, sheer fabrics).

Many looks were paired with almond-toe, kitten-heel slingbacks; they’re the embodiment of this sensual-meets-pragmatic ethos that the designer is really nailing these days — and that presumably translates to sales. (I would buy a pair of this shoe in every color right now.) As the show progressed, models stepped out in a higher-heeled (but still seemingly walkable) version, because sometimes a big night out calls for a tad more drama.

Amid the collection’s mostly solid neutrals are pops of primary colors — blue, red — and prints; as Altuzarra described in the show notes, they’re inspired by personal artifacts: “Smudged kisses resemble marks left on a napkin, while botanical prints evoke dried flowers — preserved or hastily sketched in a notebook. Both speak to forgotten intimacies.”

It’s a cohesive collection — reflecting the designer’s focus on a singular woman — that also has range. As such, it really is the modern wardrobe Altuzarra set out to create, and one that exemplifies the power of clothing to aid in self-expression. As cliché as that sounds, it feels needed right now, especially for women who’ve lived enough to know who they are and what they want. And come fall, they’re gonna want this collection — whether they already are that woman, or aspire to be.