Massimo Giorgetti is a romantic at heart. Underneath the cool-headed practical approach that has served him well in building his successful business lies a much softer sentimental side. His favorite writer? Emily Dickinson. “I have been obsessed with her poems since I was in high school,” he said over Zoom. “Clearly, enrolling in a technical commercial school wasn’t the best of choices, as I was terrible at math and loved literature. But hey, life does have its mysterious ways. Dickinson’s book of poems has stayed with me ever since.”
One of Giorgetti’s favorite Dickinson poems, “Dawn,” was knitted in its entirety on an oversized wool jacquard jumper, becoming a sort of manifesto for this pre-fall collection. The poem’s image of a new day rising after the darkness of a long night seemed to the designer an obvious metaphor to describe what we’ve all been through and what our collective hopes are—we can’t wait to finally transition to new beginnings.
The poet’s life of self-imposed seclusion in a sort of ante litteram lockdown just added to her status as Giorgetti’s muse for pre-fall. “But what’s important is that she never stopped looking out her window,” he said. Ever the optimist, he gave the collection the title “Sunrise,” working around feelings of lightness and color. Months from now, when it lands in stores, he hopes that women will be ready to celebrate their femininity again—and to spend their budgets on MSGM’s mood-lifting offer.
Toning down a notch the label’s sometimes brash vibration, Giorgetti took a more light-handed approach than usual. Colors were luminous but less electric; outerwear was soft-tailored and comforting, with enveloping wrap coats adjustable around the body through plays of belts, ribbons, and drawstrings. A big fringed poncho in rust-tone checkered wool looked particularly covetable.
Adding to the collection’s feminine vibe without being too coquettish (a very un-MSGM attitude indeed), romantic motifs of roses were rendered as if scratched on a rough surface and printed in bright red on a side-draped blouse with billowy sleeves. Fan-pleated ruffles of flimsy organza peeked out from the lapels of an efficient masculine blazer in Prince of Wales overprinted with dark, not-so-kittenish thorny roses; and clouds of lilac ruched tulle were appliquéd on a blouse in lavender cotton. To transition from day to evening, a simple oversized white poplin shirt was layered with a black net in filmy tulle. Giorgetti may have shown us his more romantic side, but he’s more than ready to party when the time comes—he hopes his customers will join him on the dance floor.
