Antonio D’Anna quoted Bret Easton Ellis’s seminal novel American Psycho in his show notes. Though it was published in 1991, the book is set amidst the excess of 1980s New York, a moment, D’Anna pointed out, coincidental with “the height of Krizia’s original influence on international fashion.” Fortuitously for D’Anna, who is now in his third season at the label, the ’80s are in the air again. That could work in his favor as he tries to revive interest in designer Mariuccia Mandelli’s codes. Among them were sculptured shoulders, blouson shapes, pleats, and animal intarsias. D’Anna touched on all of those signatures and more, too. Mandelli had a penchant for unusual materials; here, that manifested as stiff-looking black eel-skin suiting and, weirder still, a puffer coat and track pants in bulky lamb fur.
What would really work in his favor is if D’Anna found ways to inject more simplicity into this collection, and create the kind of pieces that women need and want to wear every day in 2018. As it was, he came closest to that sense of vitality with a nicely tailored black pantsuit accented with metal suspender clips. Likewise, a bright red wrap coat with kimono sleeves made a potent statement amid the deshabille of sheer knits and a silk plissé top that peeled off the shoulder. In 1987, Mandelli was quoted saying, “Everyone must dress as they like, provided that the dress becomes for them a second skin.” D’Anna has potential, but he should keep Mandelli’s words in mind as he starts developing his next collection.
