The Color Trend Italian and L.A. Women Will Both Wear

(Image credit: Forte_forte)

There will always be style differences between Americans and Europeans, but I’m particularly fascinated by what’s in the center of the Venn diagram. Despite living in different environments, how do we dress similarly? Well, that’s exactly the question I had for Giada Forte of the brand Forte_forte. As an Italian designer who spends a lot of time in Los Angeles and has just reopened her beautifully designed boutique there, I thought she was the perfect person to weigh in on the trends that Italian and L.A. women will both wear this summer.

When it comes to color trends, Forte told Who What Wear that she thinks pastels will be universally appealing this season. “I feel like the ideas of poetic beauty and kindness are expressed in the pastel shades of our clothes,” she told us. “The idea of delicate colors, dreamy patterns, and pure shapes take you to a soft, oneiric atmosphere for this summer.” Another trend she mentioned is craftsmanship, “which puts the spotlight on the importance of beautiful textile traditions that give that human feeling to the clothes,” Forte told Who What Wear. “In fact, this is our main purpose at Forte_forte. For our Spring/Summer 2024 collection, we have translated this into our wood-beaded hand-embroidered cropped jackets and waistcoats, our knitted beautiful openwork set, and our vintage cross-stitched tablecloth-inspired bomber jackets and pants.”

Speaking of melding Italian sensibilities with Los Angeles flair, that’s exactly what Forte_forte’s newly redesigned boutique on Melrose Place accomplishes. “Our boutique in Los Angeles expresses spatial clarity, dialoguing with the City of Angels: light and matter, solidity and transparency intertwine, echoing the volumes and lines of California’s modernism, immersed in blinding sun and desert landscapes,” the designer said. “Two huge stones from the Palm Springs desert also interact with the space, positioned one above the other in the exhibition area. To me, it is a special and unique project that enhances the contrast with Italian materials and finishes, enriching the balance of components with new nuances.”