Vicedomini’s knits aren’t your average cashmere

When is a sweater not just a sweater?

When it is five-ply cashmere, trimmed in Mongolian lamb, speckled with suede sequins or inset with lace sleeves.

But then, we should expect no less from Alessandra Vicedomini, a statuesque Milanese model who now resides in Geneva with her banker husband.

That Alpine air was all over the Vicedomini (vicedominicashmere.com) collection in the form of the dusty rose and faded blue-grey palette, the fox-trimmed après-ski vests and the beaded tunics perfect for curling up fireside. When selling for the spring/summer season, the designer flips to swimsuits and beachwear.

But it was her knits that had guests doffing their Balmains at a champagne-fueled trunk show at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel.

And if you are envisioning lumpy, oversized knits, think again. Even Vicedomini’s ponchos have a sleek elegance.

“I learned a lot about fit from modelling, because the designers would fit the clothes right on me,” Vicedomini explained, citing Jean Paul Gaultier, Blumarine and Dolce & Gabbana as some of the houses she worked for.

Her clothes can be found in boutiques throughout Europe and through luisaviaroma.com. With friend Vanessa Mulroney, who was executive retail editor at Tatler before moving to Toronto recently, Vicedomini is looking to expand into North America.

In the meantime, Vanessa’s new mother-in-law, Mila (yes, of the prime ministerial Mulroneys–Vanessa married their son Mark in August), Hilary Weston and a flurry of young Canadian socials were stocking up for ski season, and making for what was the chicest mother/daughter fashion event in memory.

Click the images below to see photos from the trunk show.