Anna Molinari's Blumarine is a perfect embodiment of a certain Italian woman's attitude toward fashion: Let the rest of the world worry about sobriety, not her. What's the point in clothes if they don't make her feel decorative? Dresses and elaborate knitwear are ever the core of Molinari's commercial success, so she took the coat-and-minidress combo that is one of the looks of the season, but tweaked it to show off all the pieces that make her customers happy. A sliver of gold dévoré velvet with a fox-trimmed coat thrown over it started a show of slinky jersey and body-hugging mini sweater dresses. She thought up things to do with her line of embellished cardigans, too, trimming a turquoise one in fur and embroidery, and making another in multiple cream crochet ruffles.
Midway, Molinari turned on the power suits, though a couple of evening coats, one in tailored brocade and the other a black velvet swing with a white fur collar, proved to be the stronger pieces. The long evening dresses made of randomly attached assemblages of tattered lace and chiffon looked more like borrowings from her daughter's younger Anna Molinari line, but otherwise, this collection was just as it always is: reassuringly pretty things to keep the ladies loyal.
