Anna Molinari designed her collection for a holiday in Saint-Tropez. But it's not the Brigitte Bardot-era Riviera we're taking about; it's the flashy twenty-first-century Med, complete with silk-and-lace nighties made almost plausible for the boardwalk with hip-slung belts and cropped leather jackets, the sleeves pushed up past the elbows…and midriff-baring waffle-knit polos…and micro shorts in neon brights…and cashmere or chenille track pants with sequined athletic stripes down the sides to go with matching embroidered tank tops. Track pants, of course—it takes hard work to get the body you need to wear revealing clothes like these.
Evening—often an opportunity for romance and ruffles at Blumarine—was racier still. Jersey goddess gowns with hip-high slits made those short shorts underneath a must. (The show's countless caftans and cover-ups in hothouse prints were a welcome note of modesty.) Were there any clothes for girls not on permanent vacation? Animal-spotted pony-hair jackets and A-line skirts, along with a few flower-print sweater dresses, ought to appeal to the city-bound Blumarine customer. But should she require something more than that, she might have to turn her eyes elsewhere next season.
