It was an unexpected see now, buy now situation when Emanuel Ungaro unveiled its resort 2026 collection on Friday night at the International Fashion Festival in Porto Montenegro.
While the festival is consumer-facing — organized to entertain the high-net-worth types that converge on this picturesque resort destination, and the public via a live broadcast on national television — a local retailer, Twenty Two Concept Store, contacted Ungaro officials immediately after the show to secure an order, finding its pretty, playful designs perfect for the market.
The annual event, now in its seventh edition, included a runway show by French wunderkind Charles de Vilmorin, who paraded ruffly, cabaret-inspired ensembles; a masterclass by Italian fashion editor and sustainability advocate Sara Sozzani Maino, and an offbeat video display of student fashions brought to life by artificial intelligence, which still seems to struggle to mimic smooth runway sashays.
Under the Faith Tribe banner, four recent graduates displayed their designs, which can be produced on demand using AI-based production platform Resonance.
Faith Tribe presented its designs via video.
Boris Sekularac/Courtesy of International Fashion Festival
Ungaro general manager Marie Fournier noted the house has a history in the region: It did a fashion show in Belgrade last November, hosted by the French ambassador to Serbia, and another 15 years ago in Kotor, Montenegro, at the time when the collection was designed by Esteban Cortázar.
“I love it here,” said Kobi Halperin, Ungaro’s current designer, who confessed having a pet peeve about resortwear being considered appropriate for urban attire.
By contrast, he said it looks right at home in Porto Montenegro, where women stroll around its world-famous marina and luxury hotels in colorful, summery dresses and metallic sandals.
“It’s very inspiring to see this connection between glamour, practicality and fashion,” he said. “You can sense people celebrate getting dressed here.”
Halperin’s resort collection for Ungaro, strong on pink, gold sequins and paisley prints, was inspired by a recent trip to India and would look right at home on the polished ladies who attend the open-air fashion shows organized every year by Porto Montenegro and Fabrika, an agency owned and led by Vesna Mandić.
It’s a busy period for the New York-based Israeli designer, who plans to show his signature collection in the French capital on Oct. 3, with the Emanuel Ungaro show three days later. “We all deserve to be inspired by Paris,” said Halperin, who selected as his venue the Hôtel de Maisons, the private mansion where the late Karl Lagerfeld lived for decades.
Kobi Halperin takes a bow in Porto Montenegro.
Boris Sekularac/Courtesy of International Fashion Festival
Fournier said she was charmed by Porto Montenegro, with its luxurious attractions, stunning blue waters and welcoming locals.
“It’s a new summer spot, and it’s less crowded than Portofino or Saint-Tropez, so it’s more relaxing,” she said. “And they love fashion. The women are super dressed here, far more than in France. People like glitter — and sequins.”
Indeed, people watching is a fun pastime, especially when nearly two-thirds of the breakfast crowd at the Regent hotel, a longtime sponsor of the festival, are wearing Hermès Oran sandals.
You also find yourself logging onto the Vesselfinder website to identify the mega yachts parked at the marina, which last week included Kaos, the 361-foot metallic-blue vessel owned by American billionaire Nancy Walton Laurie, an heir to the Walmart fortune.
Earlier this month, basketball legend Michael Jordan and his yacht M’Brace made a pitstop in Porto Montenegro, where he puffed on a cigar at the Regent’s outdoor Gourmet Corner delicatessen.
A look by Charles de Vilmorin.
Boris Sekularac
Sozzani Maino, creative director of Fondazione Sozzani, was brought on board as president of the festival, bringing additional gravitas and credibility to the event — as well as a showcase for her principal causes: supporting new generations of creatives, championing education and fostering social responsibility.
“I’m not saying fashion is the devil, but the system has to change,” she told a small but rapt audience gathered at the Maritime Heritage Museum on Saturday evening.
The Italian editor showed clips from “The True Cost,” and “Junk,” two documentaries that shed light on the widespread damage to planet and people wrought by fast-fashion and luxury firms alike. “You need to know what you are buying,” she stressed, encouraging people to question especially low-cost makers, which sometimes rely on child labor.
Italian fashion consultant Giorgia Virzì served as a strategic adviser for the festival, now in its seventh edition at Porto Montenegro, whose new attractions such as Boka Place, a development that includes residences, a Siro hotel, Sophie’s Beauty Line and several eateries, including Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver.
“I think it’s very important to push fashion in different places. There is not only Paris, Milan, New York and London,” de Vilmorin said in an interview. “I think Montenegro has a huge potential for that. When I saw people in the streets, they are all very well dressed so I think there is really something to do here.”
A look by Charles de Vilmorin.
Boris Sekularac/Courtesy of International Fashion Festival
The designer opted to create a special 20-look collection for the Montenegro showcase, focusing on filmy fabrics, eccentric colors and dramatic flourishes like a feather ruff, or a stack of fezes with built-in sunglasses.
Indulging his theatrical leanings, de Vilmorin is working on an upcoming production of the musical “Une Seconde Avant Noël,” debuting at Paris’ Folies Bergère in December.
“It’s an amazing show, and I’m doing the decor and the costumes,” he said, describing the play as “a mix of emotions, a bit scary, but very poetic.”
Shift, a brand by Montenegro-born designer Ana Krgović, also participated in the festival, parading puffy, puckered pants, Beetlejuice jumpsuits with built-in face masks and other avant-garde looks.
Boris Sekularac
