Backstage, Ennio Capasa said he found a starting point for his Spring show in conceptual architecture: "The kind of buildings that don't get built because there's no technology for them yet." While that doesn't exactly sound like an auspicious beginning, there was nothing overly intellectual about the collection. In fact, it was fairly standard Costume National fare.
But this time, the body-conscious dresses and sharply cut suits with pushed-up sleeves and cropped pants were cut in crinkly, light-reflecting materials and built up around the shoulders for a slightly sci-fi look. The vest-jacket that's been turning up everywhere since Stefano Pilati showed one a year ago also made an appearance here.
Softening things up were fluid dresses airbrushed in black and white to evoke the reflection of the sky on buildings. The architecture motif continued into the accessories: Platform sandals with open metal heels evoked steel girders, and silver necklaces were made of interlocking 3-D rectangles. As far as visions of the future go, it wasn't earth-shattering, but it'll keep Capasa's fans in his clothes.
