Ermanno Daelli and Toni Scervino have been working as partners for a long time. Daelli is the ebullient creative mind, while Scervino is the driving force behind the company’s business growth, which is apparently in quite a good shape. Both share an appreciation for glamorous femininity which borders on worship; both are demanding when it comes to the best possible standards of execution—they can be quite obsessive about it. “Made in Italy” is for them is a sacred value, so much so that they’ve bought a few ateliers and small factories just to secure the results they need.
For Spring, the collection revolved around the label’s familiar territory, yet it looked as if the hyper-feminine style and high quality were kicked up a notch. Also, the show was more compact and well-edited than before; the look had an upbeat, modern attitude, but it was kept soignée.
Seduction here is always at play, and what’s more seductive than sensual lingerie? The theme wasn’t addressed too literally—quite the contrary. Models sashayed on the catwalk looking beautiful, wearing bias-cut slip dresses alluringly draped in liquid white satin or filmy crepe de Chine printed with delicate florals. Rivulets of Chantilly lace cascaded on hems and décolletages. It could’ve easily steered towards the saccharine if not for the smart toughened-up, assertive styling, which mixed black leather with lace, introducing a subtly erotic contrast. A fluffy white organza skirt, daintily embroidered, which could’ve been perfect for an ingenue femme-enfant, was worn with a black leather bustier top, tightly cinched at the waist, which suggested a much more alarming attitude.
Ermanno Daelli finds the masculine-feminine play quite provocative; it’s often featured with gusto in his collections. Spring was no exception; he paired an hourglass-cut double-breasted blazer in flame red leather with a crisp white shirt and a filmy, see-through pencil skirt in lace. A masculine striped cotton shirt was worn with a balloon skirt in cloud blue hand-painted lace, while a voluminous printed organza skirt peeked out from a classic beige trench coat. To further underline the message, Daelli topped it all by closing the show with a series of sharply cut tuxedos made in sensuous silk cady. Veiled by see-through organza matching dusters, they had an elegant, allusive allure.
