Marni’s menswear catwalk début joined the parade of Milanese designers paying homage to what the show notes called “the classical man’s wardrobe”, but Consuelo Castiglioni’s sense of classical was anything but conservative. For starters, she underscored her silhouette statement by kitting out her men in cashmere jersey leggings, which emphasized the boxy volume of the jackets up top. The cardigan jacket she presented as an informal alternative to conventional structure was well in keeping with the luxe-boho ethos that launched Marni to the world -same with an astrakhan coat or a winter-white blazer in washed leather.
But, as Castiglioni has made quite clear with her women’s designs, there is now much more to the Marni label than artisanal bohemia. In fact, the lean precision of this mens collection might appeal to anyone still jonesing for a Helmut Lang fix. It wasn’t just that superfluous detail was removed or hidden. There was also a sense of a reduction to essence in a navy overcoat, a single-button suit, or a trim parka.
She is unafraid to juxtapose the sombre with the apparently ridiculous; thus, a pair of immaculate dark trousers and shoes are counterpointed with a shirt that looks as if a grid reference has been designed over it, and a sockless model displays a peaked cap that would have been de rigeur in 1940s wartime America. She's unafraid to use big primary colours, with white and black both on prominent display, but the overall impression here is of confident, accessible style, for which Castiglioni should again be commended.
The geometric blocking printed on a shirt is the linear antithesis of Marni’s already-classic retro-styled shirt prints. This season’s collection shows all the offbeat combinations of patterns and colours that have long been Marni’s trademark. Perhaps that’s what it is ultimately all about : new classics.
She is unafraid to juxtapose the sombre with the apparently ridiculous; thus, a pair of immaculate dark trousers and shoes are counterpointed with a shirt that looks as if a grid reference has been designed over it, and a sockless model displays a peaked cap that would have been de rigeur in 1940s wartime America. She's unafraid to use big primary colours, with white and black both on prominent display, but the overall impression here is of confident, accessible style, for which Castiglioni should again be commended.
The geometric blocking printed on a shirt is the linear antithesis of Marni’s already-classic retro-styled shirt prints. This season’s collection shows all the offbeat combinations of patterns and colours that have long been Marni’s trademark. Perhaps that’s what it is ultimately all about : new classics.
