WHEN Francesco Risso sat down to compose his idea for Marni’s SS19 collection, an artistic forefront sprung to mind. That is to say, print-topped garments displaying Greek figures and sculpture-fronted sublimity. Their scattered placement across pretty much any type of clothing affirmed an abstract approach to the upcoming season. This was a collection foreground by a canvas, and Risso was filling it to a fine finish.
The mindset was simple: build a block of clothing to honour the beauty of the body. That approach explained the dominance of dresses: an outpouring of pretty pieces were structured in countless forms. open top shirt dresses, fitted knee-length numbers, A-Line skirt finishes. Marni’s SS19 women unveiled a healthy mixture of designs, yet were all equally feminine. That point was aided by the palette, too – foreground by white, but donned with pleasant, summer-driven hues across an artistic collage.
Standout looks were those that exuded an effortlessness through their scattered layering. Excessively long-sleeved silk tops were styled beneath tunic style gowns which were held by little material on their top halves. An ancient tale? Certainly. That narrative comfortably continued through halter neck dresses, sliced to reveal the mid-riff and donned with an elegant quantity of beads and jewels. As for the accessories, an assurance of goddess power was affirmed through stark sunglasses worn by each model – classic and confident alike.
Marni’s brand identity has altered somewhat in the past two years since Risso took the reigns as creative director. With continual sets of sculptural pleasure and overarching themes to boast an awareness of both art and womanhood, the house is flourishing, to say the least. For SS19 specifically, it’s the Greek fantasy we’ve been waiting for. Heavenly!
by Faye Fearon