Fausto Puglisi gives ‘it’ girls what they want for Roberto Cavalli and Marco De Vincenzo elevates historical classics for Etro.
THE ITALIAN label Roberto Cavalli is best known for its on-trend and highly feminine separates. But, creative director Fausto Puglisi shook things up for Fall with a collection that incorporated memories of childhood.
On the runway, the designer showcased a wealth of godet skirt dresses that mixed delicate cuts with a more severe feel. Chiefly pointing to the enduring corrosion of time, Pompeii Future is the house’s journey into the past, projected into the future, celebrating the eternal value of art and creativity.
Roberto Cavalli’s design codes meet Fausto Puglisi’s creative practice in an intersection of femininity and opulent elegance yet anchored in today’s world: you could imagine wearing these with pointy footwear while pounding the city’s streets on a balmy weekend night.
In addition to that, Puglisi showed effortlessly cool pieces such as body-hugging dresses in colour-blocked tints, lightweight toppers that came fitted and cinched at the waistline, and crisp cuts that were empowering and daring in equal measure.
Further shreds of cool incorporated mosaic effects and python prints that were juxtaposed in a combination of graphic black and white mixes, while a homage to Southern Italy’s jewellery tradition, a chiffon mini bustier dress reveals a breezy woven pattern in a mix of gold and bronze, also felt fresh and tastefully presented.
Presentation is always a key in fashion and since Marco De Vincenzo couldn’t bring his new Etro collection to the desert (the notes quote an ancient Egyptian story of when the tears of the god Ra touched the ground, they morphed into bees, and how they worked with the flowers of every plant to produce honey and wax), he constructed a curtain developed by art collective Numero Cromatico made of mythical animals, extinct beasts, real zoology.
The result? All that work paid off and the backdrop successfully enhanced the lineup’s layered, watch-me-walk vibe. De Vincenzo headed in a well-rounded direction for Fall, and continued with maximal twists and bright tints that could be tossed into any occasion: wools are brushed, sweaters come as embroidered, sequins sit within geometric facets.
On similar territory, jewels featured bees trapped in amber, while raw and untamed fur is a primitive touch that recalls wild scenarios, as seen across hats and coats. The same nods extend to the men’s wardrobe, across jackets, duffle coats, robes and psychedelic velvets that stood out.
by Chidozie Obasi