Dondup’s Pre-Fall collection was a mille-feuille of themes, a mash-up blended by the brand’s street style vibe. Masculine being the style du jour (a mantra almost universally embraced this season), the lineup was focused on outerwear staples of the borrowed-from-the-boys type. But Manuela Mariotti, the brand’s creative director, cannot restrain her rebellious, I-am-a-girl-but-don’t-fuss-with-me streak, so she clearly wasn’t thinking about the boardroom here. She called the collection Academic-Anarchic (Bakunin apparently being another point of reference this season: Alessandro Michele, anyone?). But Mariotti didn’t fly so high; she is wise enough not to burn her wings. She just obliged her true libertarian spirit, which is always at the core of all the choices she makes—at least when it comes to style. Mariotti injected a grungy feel to college-inspired coats and varsity jackets, oversize knitted sweaters and barracuda leather bikers, military peacoats and preppy blazers, pairing them with bohemian flowy dresses and skirts in floral printed chiffon. She spiced things up with a sprinkle of rock-chick attitude. The lineup was composed like a flexible wardrobe of distinctive pieces, to be worn with a creative, personal attitude. Mariotti is a strong believer in independence of mind, freedom of choice, and assertive self-expression, yet underneath her rebellious allure, she is a true romantic.
