“I wanted the collection to have an artsy feel,” said Gabriele Colangelo backstage before the show. Ready for the usual display of arcane artistic references that usually populate designers’ mood boards, this reviewer was positively surprised to see just scraps of fabrics pinned on plywood. How refreshing. Colangelo clearly wanted to concentrate on artsy craftsmanship instead of abstract ideas—a kind of first for a designer with a quite cerebral take on style.
“I started from manipulating textures; I had fabrics pleated by hand, dyed with the Japanese shibori technique, and then coated to achieve a leather-like finish with an organic vibe,” he explained. They ended up being the leitmotif of the collection: cut into long, free-flowing, wavy panels that snaked around cotton dusters or tops, or sprouting out from the back of a tunic, or else attached to a belted skirt to asymmetrical effect. They also served as half of a spliced pantsuit, intended perhaps as a walking metaphor about masculinity and femininity, which honestly came across as a little too literal and, maybe unintentionally, felt a bit Margiela-inspired, too.
Shapes had the experimental twist typical of Colangelo’s conceptual style, yet they felt somehow less forced and more fluid; he did not indulge his tendency to overdesign. Lines were kept clean and a little severe, as is customary chez Colangelo; yet a more feminine flair (obviously filtered through the designer’s restrained, minimalistic eyes) could be perceived in a series of beautiful belted tunics and elongated waistcoats made of silk and cotton jacquard, double-printed with blurred floral patterns in shades of red and blue. Neatly cut yet graceful, they looked right.
