Dondup’s Manuela Mariotti fell hard for James Dean and Jeff Buckley’s doomed charm, weaving it as a subtext through her Fall menswear lineup. “They embodied the free-spirited attitude that I see today alive and well in younger generations,” she said. “They were handsome yet sweet, ambitious but shy, rebellious and moody, as real men should be,” she added, sounding like a teenager smitten by her movie idols.
The collection tried to capture the current attitude toward individual style, i.e., a free-for-all medley of often-disparate elements borrowed from sportswear and streetwear blended in endless combinations, formalwear being the neglected Cinderella at the fashion ball. With admirable panache, Mariotti gave it a go, Dondup-style, which meant spicing up a collection that revolved around vintage-inspired daywear staples, with a few suits, obviously of the relaxed-fit, loosely cut, nonchalant attitude. Velvet was her fabric of choice; Mariotti used it in abundance for bikers, puffer jackets, or padded trucker’s jackets in jewel tones, smoothing the edges of the tough, rock ’n’ roll style she normally favors. Yet her rebellious spirit is never far from the surface; case in point was an all-white ensemble in which James Dean–inspired high-waisted pants were worn with an oversize sweater. It was knitted in a sort of broken plait pattern, which gave it a raw, unfinished look, with threads dangling and holes piercing its texture: “I love artistic imperfections,” Mariotti said.
