Krazy Krizia was Mariuccia Mandelli’s nickname, and it was an apt one. Her idiosyncratic taste was reflected in a style heavily rooted in her ‘80s heyday: androgynous silhouettes with exaggerated power shoulders and elliptically cut banana pants; metallic plissés; and a Pop-inspired menagerie of wild animals knitted onto oversize sweaters. Krizia’s fashion legacy can’t really be defined as timeless, indebted as it was to the visual codes of that time. Head designer Antonio D’Anna, appointed with the not-so-easy task of revamping the house, is banking on its still-valuable ‘80s currency—but for how long? The wind is changing and the ‘90s are now back in fashion. For Resort the designer did the only thing he could do when confronted with such an era-charged vocabulary, which was to rework Krizia’s codes with one eye to the heritage and the other to current market trends.
The archive was obviously extensively mined; D’Anna came up with images of Mandelli in the ‘80s mingling in night clubs and at parties with starlets and politicians. Milan at the time was swept by wild consumerism and hyperbolic entertainment; scantily clad would-be divas were dominating the scene. The quite tricky citation (that set of values actually anticipated the infamous Berlusconi’s era) led D’Anna to a series of ironic visuals, including a pair of bare legs in garters, black sheer stockings, and high heels, which he had printed all over on masculine silk shirts or on satin truck suits. Note to young designers: Some references are probably better left in the archive.
The collection worked best when the ‘80s inspiration was smoothed and lightened, as in an elongated white poplin shirt juxtaposed with a sheer, double-layered organza parka in acid yellow and worn with elevated black joggers. An oversize cotton shirtdress, studded with metallic grommets mimicking a futuristic broderie anglaise grid effect, was also a case in point. The menagerie of wild animals roamed the collection; cheetahs, giraffes, and monkeys were printed onto denim pants, or blown up as an all-over black-and-white jacquard pattern on a sleek pantsuit, or else were knitted into a red stretchy pencil skirt paired with a matching batwing blouse. Even a stingray-inspired motif turned up on a pair of egg-shaped, thick-leather pants. They looked quite stiff. In the end, the animal patterns were a touch overwhelming; you’ll really need to be a nostalgic to wear them.
