January 16, 2015 |
Look, a rather dazzling goat (or some sort of some sort of unidentifiable-four-legged-creature) skin coat coming down the runway at Marni’s show at Pitti Uomo last night. I want to wear it and caress it, like I might a kitten, in equal measure. I wanted to wear and caress a lot of Consuelo Castiglioni’s collection for Marni, presented yesterday evening at Pitti Uomo, Florence. From the angora cashmere and sumptuous suede to the also-unidentifiable-four-legged-creature skin backpack. It all looked as easy on the finger as it did on the eye. But the collection went beyond tactility. It was a more optimistic vision for Marni – the flashes of red and yellow, prints of painterly blossom and mismatched checks testified to this. Beanies were worn at a, as Will would say, “kooky angle”. And that’s not all that was kooky. The details were too – pocket linings were brightly coloured, buttons were concealed. Coats and jackets were collarless, suits were cut to a relaxed fit, giving them a meandering-around-Florence ease. A laissez-faire nonchalance, if you will. A very Italian attitude and a very nice one too (until you translate it to road safety. Seriously I’ve nearly been flattened into the tarmac di Firenze several times in my short stay). Relaxed, optimistic and graceful, this was an autumn/winter collection to remember. I want easy elegance and a laissez-faire nonchance à la Consuelo Castiglioni and I want it now.
By Ted Stansfield
