Albino D'Amato's dual obsessions, geometric construction and fluid draping, put this 5-year-old label firmly in step with the onward march of fashion. His cocoon coats came twisted and knotted at the back below the knee, a leitmotif on more than a few runways lately; and there were echoes of some of the sculptural necklines seen at Jil Sander in his silk sack dresses.
But is there anything to set D'Amato apart and above other designers operating just below the radar of the international editors and retailers who've descended on Milan this week? If anything, it's his sense of color. In a season when established talents have relied too much on the safety of black, D'Amato paired bronze satin with amethyst and sapphire and sent out one of the prettiest bottle greens. His sky blue blouse and absinthe wrap skirt signal brighter days ahead—if not for the world at large, at least for him.
