Over the years, Piazza Sempione has gone through countless changes, twists, and turns of various types. Now, celebrating its 25th anniversary, the brand tried the umpteenth shedding of its skin. In the last few seasons, art-inspired, slightly trend-tinged collections were marketed; but now apparently the clock had to perform a backward flip, so it was time for the always comforting “Back to the Roots” mantra. The Fall collection, a quite spare, still presentation, displayed a few samples of the brand’s new-old course. It felt, and looked, more French Restauration than French Révolution.
“Timeless elegance” is a mantle that can be safely worn in transitional, uncertain circumstances. It was a concept called for to describe the lineup of classic, quite basic separates in the usual Italian fabrics associated with the “luxe factor”: alpacas, cashmeres, taffeta jacquards, brushed wools, shearlings, fil coupés, radzimirs, and so on. The focus was on daywear; shapes were clean and simple with a minimal, classy appeal. Well cut short car coats had matching shift dresses; cropped palazzo pants were worn with blazers or sleeveless waistcoats; dresses with knee-length A-line skirts were printed with elegant geometric patterns referring to Sonia Delaunay.
Pants have always been a forte of the house, so it seemed fitting that to mark the anniversary celebration—which seemed rather subdued—25 pairs of the most successful shapes were re-edited. Each one came with a name and a special linen label, a sort of “identity card" for each of the styles. It was sweet. Yet for a brand to stand out in today's hyper-crowded marketplace, it needs a distinctive voice and a strong identity, which is not just tagged to a pair of pants.
