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11:05 a.m.
“I just don’t know who will wear them,” an editor tells me as we discuss the Marni collection during a car ride to our next stop. The general consensus of the morning — one that I completely agree with — seems to be that Consuelo Castiglioni showed one of her strongest collections in recent memory, with pieces that rivaled couture and undoubtedly count as wearable art. Her press notes explained that the clothes were about “amplification” and “exaggeration.” And she does seem to have pushed her trademark whimsical aesthetic about 100 miles left of centre.
The inflated ruffles on a grey T-shirt dress, the enormous, heavy volume of a multi-coloured spotted fur coat or the massive, jangly discs on a skirt don’t look like the easiest things to pull off. In truth, any one of these pieces would look ridiculous to the average person on the street. These are the kind of “out there” clothes that fashion stereotypes are made of. I look at this collection and think of every iconic pop culture moment in history in which fashionistas have been ridiculed, from Cruella Deville to “Zoolander,” “Ugly Betty”and onwards. The Marni fall ’14 collection is exactly the sort of thing that civilians love to turn into caricature. And in one part of my brain, I do recognize the absurdity of it all.
But then the visceral part kicks in, the part that wants to own and wear one of her finale “dresses” that start as a military coat on top and end as a flapper skirt on the bottom. And I’m not the only one. Within the confines of the fashion world, Consuelo’s architectural, intensely decorated clothes are prizes to be sought-after and investment buys to add to wish lists. Besides, the Marni girl has never dressed to please anyone other than herself.
The major trends
All of the biggies that we’ve seen so far are here, in one collection. Exaggerated shapes, contrasting textures, tactile finishies, wide-leg trousers, the list goes on…
What this will mean for your wardrobe
All hell breaking loose. Jokes aside, expect to see a new three-dimensional, piled-on take on embellishments and decoration in stores next fall.
