Consuelo Castiglioni stepped back from her Resort collection and found herself disconcerted by its structured, almost couturelike precision. So she decided to mix it up a little. Dissonance, she decided. Something opposite, to add a little creative tension. Only she knows how she got from that point to cowgirls, but her decision guaranteed that the new lineup was an engaging face-off between grand old chic and Grand Ole Opry. The piped yokes and studded shirts, snap-closing blousons, and dipping hems were more Dale Evans than Dolly Parton. Circle skirts guaranteed that these were clothes you'd want to twirl in, and that suggested a whole new energy for Marni.
Castiglioni's H&M collaboration was a smash, and she just became a grandmother for the first time. So, why not push the boat out? There was some logic in the western influence—it gave the designer a chance to explore some pretty graphic volumes—but it was more fun to see a riverboat gambler's frock coat translated into a dress or the decorative details of Mr. Nudie's country-and-western rococo (like a crystal-studded placket) carried over into a Marni collection.
Consuelo brought it all back home with a group of natural linen pieces stunningly embroidered with raffia. Echoing her summer hideaway on Formentera, the beads sat like berries in the midst of an organic fantasia.
