Anna Molinari is fond of the Scottish Highlands’s wintry athmospheres. “My late husband inherited a grand house there,” she said. The cozy feel of its interiors clearly stayed with her. Luscious velvets, wooly tartans, a fire burning in an ornate fireplace, antlers galore, a brooding Heathcliff walking in windy fields of heather—you get the picture.
For Pre-Fall, Molinari wanted to convey the feminine spirit that she always favors, which can be described as a very personal kind of impetuous romanticism, molded on her own character. She’s a petite force of nature, all furs and lace and blond curls, yet with an iron will. Here, tartan patterns were printed on light fabrics for long chiffon tiered dresses or flimsy skirts in silk georgette paired with bright, chunky sweaters, while velvets were given a whimsical flair with floral patterns of wintry flowers in a delicate pale blue shade. A pajama with a wrap jacket worn with fluid pants would’ve looked perfectly at home in the lavish drawing room of a decadent manor.
Hung near the mantlepiece of Molinari’s Capri home in the Italian countryside is a stunning painting by Giovanni Boldini, who was one of the most fashionable portraitists of the European beau monde in the late 19th century. It depicts a beautiful aristocratic lady wearing a brown velvet gown: “I love that painting so much, I wanted to translate its enchanting spirit in a modern way into my collection,” she explained. The contemporary attitude and the youthful feel was evidenced in short checkered city capes, patchworked and voluminous furs, bathrobe-inspired long coats with animalier trimmings, and black chiffon midi dresses with poet sleeves and pussy bows at the collar. The signature Blumarine roses bloomed on printed voile pleated dresses or on masculine silk pants. “There were the same roses hand-embroidered on my mother’s velvet pillows,” said Molinari, sounding as sentimental as ever.
