Frette gets jump on '03 with intros

By Andrea Lillo -- Home Textiles Today, 11/4/2002 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Frette premiered its spring/summer 2003 collection this week, including new bedding and bath groups as well as its new nautical Yachting collection.

Elements of Sicily provided the inspiration for next season's bed and bath offerings, as designer Cristina Azario translated patterns such as mosaics and stained glass to three new bedding and bath lines.

Frette also mixed in more unisex patterns, like a basketweave, along with feminine designs for a balanced look. The geometric designs, she added, "can cross over to another bed, and you can pair it up with jacquard or silk."

The Ragusa group features a stained glass window Azario saw in Sicily, and the pattern shows up on the comforters, as well as borders on the sheets and pillows. Azario also uses different scales of the same pattern on various pieces to break up the look of the bed, she said.

Flowers are the basic theme for the Zagara group, which includes a basketweave coordinate. Details in this collection include contrasting trim and the inclusion of lace and embroidery.

Along with embroidered bedding and towels, yarn-dyed jacquards — a classic look for Frette, she said — make up the Erice group, in an assortment of colorations. Patterns in this collection have the suggestion of stones and ceramic tiles.

Frette also showed some brocade decorative pillows that are designed for the living room as well as the bedroom. "They work back to the bedding patterns," Azario added.

New table linen introductions included embroideries, jacquards and lace. "It's not a big business, but it's growing," she said.

The realm of boating is at the center of Frette's new Yachting collection, which contains a host of items for the bed, bath, table and beach. The nautical colors of navy and white appear on the bath and hand towels, bathrobes and bath rugs in cotton, terrycloth and poplin. Details such as grosgrain and scallop edging are included.

The Yachting bedding and table products will be colored in the classic maritime hues of light tan, light blue and imperial yellow and will be inspired by the patterned jacquards in the Frette for Home collection for the season.

And logically, beach products are a part of the program, including a beach towel backpack with an attached beach towel. Beach towels come in single and double sizes and include a pocket for inclusion of a small cushion.