Seventies, ’80s, ’90s. Any which way you cut it, fashion is in the midst of a vintage moment. What’s a born and bred minimalist to do? Costume National designer Ennio Capasa, to his credit, isn’t changing his tune. He’s been around too long for that, a fact he likes to emphasize on his mood board, labeling images from his past with their season and year.
For Spring 2016, he doubled down on the tailoring he’s long been associated with and streamlined his color palette. Backstage he said he focused on fabric development to create “sensuality.” Glitter pinstripes, polka-dot fil coupe, and suede laser-cut to look like lace made appearances. A minidress as silvery as tinsel was gathered at one shoulder with a silk ribbon. Still, you couldn’t help but feel Capasa preferred the simplicity of basic black or white, which he used more than anything else here, perhaps because it put nothing extraneous in the way of his tailoring. This season his suiting had a somewhat softer, more feminine sensibility than it has in the past. Ruffles cascaded down the front of a vest and metal rings connected the front and back panels on jackets, leaving a suggestive slice of shoulder exposed. Minor developments. A single red pantsuit worn with a sheer red turtleneck underneath made a lasting impression, but otherwise this collection could’ve used more spark.
