Discussing his Pre-Fall collection, Francesco Scognamiglio touted what he called "a new renaissance of my work." The Italian designer recently bought back his company from a former business partner. Now, newly independent, he's attempting to rejigger things a bit. In the past, his runway shows have almost always been devoted to eveningwear. Even when he was focused on his tailoring, he preferred sheer, even provocative materials, from lace to PVC.
For Pre-Fall, he put a new emphasis on wearability, showing polished outerwear and neatly constructed trousers and pencil skirts. Scognamiglio has a way with a frilly blouse; the best here came in Chantilly with high, ruffled necks and the narrowest of sleeves. But he leaned too heavily on sweatshirts to give the collection a contemporary look and feel. They've become utterly predictable, and Scognamiglio didn't do himself any favors when he decorated his versions with a veiled Christ figure. Religious iconography is Riccardo Tisci's thing.
