Ricorso is the New Modern Vintage Brand You Need to Know

What happens when you take sartorial inspiration from the past, and recreate a piece into a contemporary silhouette? The answer is Ricorso, the new Chicago-based womenswear brand that is turning heritage into modern designs. The label just launched their debut, limited edition winter/holiday capsule of ten sophisticated designs, which is on display — and available for purchase — at Chicago’s prime showroom VMR until December 12.

The collection is quite a treat. From darted bodice dresses adorned with kimono sleeves, a sequined trench with navy duchess satin print, to the most beautiful charcoal gray, silk and wool jacket with a keyhole scarf, the pieces are incredibly constructed and very well edited.

All the beauty, sophistication and cohesiveness of the capsule come to no surprise considering the team behind it: Four industry vets starting with executive director Daryl Sneed, creative director, and  former Chicago magazine fashion director, Stacey Jones; technical director Aubrie Meyer; and tailoring director Elda de la Rosa.

“I call this our freshman collection of working collaboratively together,” Sneed told me at the pop-up kick off event Tuesday night. ” This is our debut of getting our vision out. …We’re going to do a Spring collection [as well]. Our current concept is Spring 2015, and we have five-six ideas that are already rolling in our head of how we are going to do things.”

But how exactly does modern design come out of vintage tailoring? Stacey Jones explains:

“The collection is based on vintage pieces that we find all over.  These aren’t necessarily designer vintage pieces; some of them are literally 50 dollar pieces that you find in a vintage store. But they have bones in them that when I look at them [I wonder], how could I work them into something that is more modern, certainly more current, more contemporary.”

The chic charcoal gray jacket we mentioned above? It was inspired by “quite an unattractive, floral jacket that literally would scare you if you saw it. But we knew that there were bones to it, and the right fabrication, the right tweaking of it came into this,” Jones said. “And that is sort of where we start. I look at the bones of the piece and then decide what kind of fabrications are going to be a part of it, what are the details.”

Prices range from $795 to $3,000 and the collection is available in sizes four through 10. So head over to VMR and experience this unique capsule that is perfect for the holidays.

Photos courtesy of Ricorso