In a season of riffs on Balenciaga's directional Fall collection, leave it to Cavalli to come up with the most flamboyant one. His multiprint patchwork dresses were inspired by Africa and came with Masai beaded necklines or loose strands of fringe. But the quilted silk jackets, waist-carving belts with feather skirts attached, and ballooning pants looked a little too familiar for comfort.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Just Cavalli show without some sex. So there were motocross jackets and pants, the former in patches of black, white, and brightly hued leather (matching the show's opening ethnic print), the latter in curve-hugging racing-car green. Fuchsia abstract leopard-print jersey also added a vixenish element, especially when it was spliced and pieced back together as a skintight micro-minidress. His daring maillots came with cutouts at the side or in strips of ribbon that looked knitted together like ribs. They were reminders that, when it comes to his diffusion line, Cavalli ought to have enough proven signatures of his own to riff on without looking elsewhere.
