BRAZILIAN FLAVOR: Raquel Diniz was celebrating a vital next step for her brand of femininity and romance during Milan Fashion Week, with somewhat help from friends including Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Coinciding along with her spring 2023 presentation, she officially opened the door of her first 750-square-foot boutique on central Via Santo Spirito replacing a former unit of furrier Simonetta Ravizza.

“Milan is where it began, in my front room, and for the past five seasons it has been my brand’s home,” she said fly-kissing her clientele, already cramming the space.

Developed by architectural firm Chahan, the space pays homage to Diniz’s Brazilian roots with stone flooring bearing motifs harking back to sandy beaches in Ipanema.

A combination of organic materials corresponding to walnut wood used for displays, stone panels and furniture with concrete partitions contributed to the subtle decor, against which her joyful concoctions for fall were in full display.

“I wanted the shop to have some type of Brazilian imprint, but additionally a touch of Made in Italy,” the designer said. “One in all the explanations I got here here is because I desired to be a part of this country’s culture,” she said.

Diniz, who’s married to fashion investor and Formula 1 mogul Lawrence Stroll, got here to Milan to review at Istituto Marangoni, before going to work for public relations maven Noona Smith-Petersen.

She feels Milan was the natural first retail stop for the brand but she’s already planning to secure a location in Brazil, potentially in Bahia where she often vacations and owns a house.

Business is doing great, she offered, regardless of the pandemic quagmire, after securing deals with marquee independent retailers corresponding to Milan’s Antonia and e-commerce power players, including Matchesfashion.

Diniz’s foray into America was curtailed when Barney’s folded, because the brand had signed an exclusive take care of the retailer.

This week she is meeting with Bergdorf Goodman and Saks, but has already secured distribution via Intermix within the U.S.

The spring collection hinged on a painterly palette inspired by Henri Matisse and his mastery in color assemblage. Diniz offers resortwear for summer gateways with boat dinner-filled agendas. Flowing cape-like gowns had a dégradé effect veering from yellow and peachy orange to fuchsia, while plissè numbers fitting on the torso had revealing cutouts, befitting for beach days as much as party nights.

The designer also expanded her daywear offering, adding cotton frocks bearing irregular geometric motifs and leave prints and complemented the look via a latest iterations of the Raquel Diniz x Aquazzura footwear capsule.

She topped her busy day with a cocktail reception and dinner on the terrace of the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, attended by A-listers, which also included Alessandra Ambrosio, Jourdan Dunn, Margherita Missoni and Coco Brandolini.