Arthur Arbesser has collaborated with the architect Luca Cipelletti since he landed on the Milan Fashion Week schedule two years ago. It’s been a fruitful relationship that has yielded some memorable shows; Arbesser’s first presentation was held in a disused warehouse once belonging to Milan’s ’70s feminists that counts among the coolest venues this reporter has encountered. But today was more impressive. Having overseen the renovation of the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, a former stables dating to the Habsburgs’ time in Milan, Cipelletti was able to secure it for Arbesser’s Spring show. To hear the architect tell it, the museum was a much in-demand venue this season, but Arbesser’s Austrian roots made it an especially good fit.
The collection had a lot to live up to, and it didn’t quite manage to do so. Technical knitwear based on the Palio di Siena horse race was awkwardly proportioned, and acid green is a tricky color to wear, even in a season of neons. Arbesser looked at old pictures of his grandfather in his school uniform and holiday clothes; they gave the collection its boyish, shrunken shapes. There was a literal but still delightful little sailor jacket. Traditional Vichy check, another callback, was made modern with an iridescent sheen on a nice trench. A bold red-and-blue striped dress had grown-up appeal.
Speaking of productive partnerships, Silhouette produced the shades, Swarovski provided crystals, and Fabio Rusconi made the smart-looking snub-toed patent boots based on Arbesser’s design. We’re looking forward to seeing that aspect of his brand grow in the future.
