Avant Toi: Fall/Winter 26/27 Arrives, Worked Entirely by Hand in Italy

The Signature Techniques

The lamination is where Avant Toi earns its name. A fine metallic layer is worked into the knit by hand, so a jacket or pullover reads as solid colour from across a room and only reveals its shimmer up close. The Laminated Micro Mat-Stitch Rever Jacket and the Laminated Scratched-Effect Moss-Stitch Round-Neck Jacket both carry this treatment through a textured moss stitch, while the Laminated Light Cashmere Boat-Neck Oversized Pullover applies the same idea to a softer, oversized shape. For something easier to wear every day, the Laminated Ribbed Micromodal Long-Sleeve T-Shirt and the Ribbed Silk Knit Tank Top in Silver Laminate bring the technique down to base-layer weight, built to sit under a blazer or on its own.

Hand-Painted Silk

Nowhere is the hand work more visible than in the silk. Each print begins as a hand-painted or hand-distressed design, applied before the fabric is cut, which is why no two pieces ever sit quite the same way under light. The Hand-Painted Silk Shirt with One Pocket and the Hand-Painted Stretch Silk Palazzo Pants work as a considered co-ord or split across separate outfits, while the Charcoal-Effect Paisley-Print Silk Pants bring a darker, more graphic take on the same idea. The two scarves anchor the category: the Hand-Painted Paisley Cashmere & Silk Foulard Scarf and the Hand-Painted Pomegranate Cashmere & Silk Foulard Scarf, each large enough at 120 by 120 centimetres to do considerably more than sit around a neck.

Cashmere, Reconsidered

The knitwear is where Avant Toi softens, without losing any of the hand work. The Hand-Painted Cashmere & Silk Furry-Stitch Open Cardigan and the Salt-Effect Cashmere & Silk Slim Round-Neck Cardigan both layer easily over everything else in the edit, while the Knitted Cashmere Pullover in Noce Moscata and the Gradient-Effect Boat-Neck Oversized Pullover in Moss bring in colour without reaching for anything bold. For something with a little more texture, the Hand-Painted Brushed Cotton V-Neck Pullover with Casentino Effect brings a raised, almost felted surface that holds its own against denim or tailoring alike.

How to Wear It

The easiest way to wear Avant Toi is also the most obvious one: with denim. Almost every piece in this collection sits comfortably against white or blue denim, and there is no need to build a full head-to-toe look to make it work. A laminated jacket over a plain white tee and jeans, a hand-painted silk shirt tucked into denim, a cashmere cardigan thrown over both, any of these reads as considered without trying too hard.

For something dressier, treat the knitwear as outerwear rather than a base layer. The laminated or furry-stitch cardigans both work well over a slip dress, standing in for a jacket without the formality of one. The scarves are the most versatile pieces in the whole edit. Worn around the shoulders, a foulard scarf becomes a shawl for evening. Folded and tied at the waist, it adds a point of colour to a plain dress or trouser. And away from the wardrobe entirely, a hand-painted scarf this size holds its own framed on a wall or draped over the back of a chair, which says something about how much Avant Toi treats its textiles as art first and clothing second.