There were various reasons why Veronica Etro encased the cloisters of the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music so that we were sitting in inky blackness. Backstage she said she wanted to totally change the look of a venue she’s used before and that “black is a color that protects,” plus the blackness spoke to the nearly all-black but color-edged worn-effect trenches that costumed the now-standard mass Etro finale. The ultimate reason, one suspects, was the launch of a handbag named the Black Pegaso that each model held during that finale.
Still, it seemed a shame to wall us in when there was a beautiful sunny day outside that would have illuminated this space and collection gorgeously. Just because the handbag is black didn’t mean everything else had to be. This was the only real criticism of a collection that was in many ways archetypal Etro. This house has been trawling the world like an eclectic nomad for so many decades that you can hardly accuse it of cultural appropriation—being open to the aesthetics of diverse global cultures is the Etro way. Here, Veronica’s folk stopovers included cropped and fringed woven gaucho blanket ponchos over riding pants and one of two great boots—a Cuban heel and a block—that ran through the collection.
There were fringed checked and plain blanket coats and cashmere separates, a fantastic embroidered white afghan shearling, lushly embroidered denim with more fringing, and a series of typically gorgeous boho dresses including a galloping green example with a head-scarf neckline. In the first third or so of the show, there was an atypical detour to Paris via a series of overtly haute bourgeois looks that seemed like a slightly wayward diversion, but Veronica had said she wanted to contrast “respectability and seduction” and “coziness and tailoring” and this was part of that. The tailoring also included the closing tuxedo and suits in tartan and house-standard paisley.
The two gold looks near to the close were obvious yet powerful attention grabbers. The casting here was strong, and the collection totally consistent in its eclectic variousness that is one of the key values of this house.