Blumarine's eye-popping psychedelic leopard-spot collection of last Fall—pure over-the-top, ridiculous fun—sold so well in America, the company was almost shocked. What would the follow-up be—the same sort of exuberant, sexy, borderline funny nailing of a current trend? To get to it, you need to flick to the middle of today's show, past the colorful tie-dye, glitzy hippie dresses and body-con knits, to the moment the camouflage hit. Military drab this wasn't. Out came the fluoro-splashed olive and green prints, camo-print platform sandals, Rasta-stripe bags, and finally a delightfully hilarious full-length army bustier dress. It was followed by a small laugh, rippling along the front row.
The exuberance of Blumarine is full-frontal devil-may-care Italian. In its knowing, put-together, highly commercial way, it captures the Southern European attitude to holidaying in the sun (obviously, this season, in St. Bart's, Jamaica, and thereabouts). The range might be a little limited—there's only so much tie-dye the eye can take—but the energy of this well-priced line looks as though it's beginning to steal a march on the likes of Cavalli, Pucci, and even Versace.
