Lorenzo Serafini’s mood board for Resort is plastered with 1980s pictures of Princesses Caroline and Stephanie of Monaco. It’s a complete coincidence that Caroline’s daughter Charlotte Casiraghi was married over the weekend; Serafini has been working on this collection for months. But of course the synergy won’t hurt. The Grimaldi sisters’ exuberant yet cool style feels overdue for examination, and Serafini is just the guy to do it. The ’80s have been a preoccupation of his since he joined Philosophy, only typically he’s referenced another beauty of the era, Brooke Shields.
All that to say this was Philosophy at its most confident and charming, with playful pieces for day and evening. Serafini designs a full wardrobe, from denim and knitwear right on up to party dresses. Given his muses many of the knits were marinière striped, and the jeans were high-waisted and baggy, which is shaping up to be the silhouette of the moment. He cut a pair of salopettes with ruffled straps in light-wash denim, as well as in a truly supple black eco-leather that also turned up on shorts and an era-appropriate round-shoulder jacket. A red-and-black tweed was lifted from a photo of Caroline. Serafini, being the fashion historian he is, said Caroline was wearing Chanel Haute Couture from Karl Lagerfeld’s first collection in the photo.
That will be lost on millennials, who tend not to be too interested in history. But they’ll respond to his going-out tops and cocktail dresses, which are categories where Serafini’s attention to detail comes out. Cases in point: a plunge-front Chantilly lace blouse and a flowy floral-print dress flocked in velvet.
