Marni dissects womenswear

Francesco Risso continues his experiments at Marni. In charge of the Milanese fashion house's creative direction for the last two years, the Italian designer unveiled what was undoubtedly one of his most personal collections for the OTB-owned brand in Milan on Saturday, looking to new and compelling horizons.

With black lipstick and pale faces, the models wore a variety of different chains, either as belts or long necklaces dangling down to their feet. In thick-soled booties or boots with metal eyelets, this unexpected and unsmiling version of the Marni woman channelled a dark, Gothic aesthetic. The silhouettes were unsettling, with models' hands hidden beneath never-ending sleeves, while the colour palette was dominated by punky black and white tartans and flashes of blood red.

However, below the surface of this high-impact image, something else was hiding: a profound reflection on the construction of apparel. Clothes were deconstructed and disintegrated before the audience's eyes only to be recomposed in a new and original form. The sleeves of jackets and coats seemed to fall away at the shoulders, revealing the lining beneath. The same brightly coloured lining reappeared on a lapel and under a sleeve, where it served as a sort of trompe l'œil shirt.

The pleated skirts seemed to fall apart abruptly at the models' waists, their pleats zigzagging off in unpredictable directions, while elsewhere pieces of satin in different colours were joined together with metallic staples to construct a Frankenstein-like dress. Long scarfs made up of a series of different materials, like leather, silk and tartan, were also worked into the looks, sometimes being threaded through belts to add unexpected intrigue and volume.

Fingerprint-patterned silk dresses opened like Russian dolls to reveal other dresses in the same tones, creating a single ensemble with uncertain edges. Other dresses were buttoned at the back and open at the front.

Overall, leather was the dominant material, as seen in some superb black coats with red linings, which featured leathers with a worn, crocodile or lizard-skin effect, but also in wide-pleated skirts and apron dresses in red or black leather.

Marni dissects womenswear

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