Chantilly Lace’s Oscalito capsule

2024 has seen her collaborate with one of her customers' favorite brands, Oscalito, as designer of a partnership capsule called Lito! The focus is on very wearable, washable casual streetwear embracing vouth & creativity with a sexy edge to it. Larisa recounts how it all happened.

The idea
This winter I spent time in Torino designing a capsule collection for Oscalito. Truly I have all my customers to thank for this opportunity. Because they purchased so much Oscalito through Chantilly Lace, Dario Casalini (the owner) really started paying attention to us and the opportunities America could bring. Hence, he listened when I proposed doing a fashion capsule (it was actually Paolo Fabrizio's suggestion). And this is what I mean by the potential impact of supporting the right small businesses.

Conscious design
Dario initially chagrined when I confessed these designs weren't necessarily for my customers. I wanted to design something that could extend beyond our little world. Be different, fun, and really get attention for his brand. My hand isn't quite as fine as it was in grad school but they're good enough to understand. They had to feel very Oscalito but be somehow very different. Knowing he's passionate about sustainability, I proposed we do these collections exclusively from leftover trim & fabric stock. I had the trim book of leftover stock, and all the fabric swatches I needed. Dario then suggested I peruse 20 years of Oscalito catalogues, which I consumed voraciously. The catalogues had so many creative designs, I went into a psychological tailspin. I had told Dario I was going to be his golden goose, how could I live up to my promise after seeing all this beauty? Was I up to the task? I was humbled.

Overnight inspiration
After processing the history of Oscalito designs and recovering swiftly from the severe intimidation I felt, I drew the capsule in one night in an airbnb in which the power kept going off. On a wing and a prayer, I came up with 10 pieces. The next day he picked 5 for summer 2025, reserving the others for Winter 2025. I designed what I thought the brand needed: some very wearable sass and a little playful edge. As we looked through my designs, an oppressive seriousness hung in the air. Dario and I hashed out the ideas easily though. We discussed fabrics, laces and construction. I had already suppressed any intimidation I felt, and presented my thoughts clearly. The confidence game of life is my new favorite game, the one I play best.