sugar-coated; Former Gucci designer Alessandra Facchinetti whips up delicate down jackets for Moncler.

Byline: Florence Kane

The restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York is very cozy on St. Patrick's Day. Outside it is cool and bright, with temperatures in the low 40s, a good day for a down parka-which is what Alessandra Facchinetti is discussing over morning coffee. Facchinetti is the 34-year-old Italian who took over Gucci's womenswear line in Tom Ford's still-turbulent wake, only to leave the megabrand after a couple of collections. Two

years later, she has reemerged at Moncler, the French jacket label, making luxury coats.

"The move was kind of bizarre, but I think sometimes you need to have courage," says Facchinetti. It is a little strange that a Gucci girl, whose designs were saturated with sexuality, would restart her career by designing quilted down (not the sexiest of materials). But when you meet Facchinetti, and see her jackets, it begins to make sense.

Moncler was founded in postwar Grenoble and made its name by outfitting the French national ski team and adventurers on mountain treks. Over the years it has gained fashion credibility through collaborations with Junya Watanabe, who did a men's line in 2004, and Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquiere. Facchinetti has taken Moncler's traditional parkas and added couture elements in her fifteen-piece line, Gamme Rouge. ("Red was the color of couture, in a way," she says, explaining the name.) The coats are lavish and ultrafeminine, each one unique: for instance, a long champagne quilted jacket ...