Marni let them simmer Sunday morning in Milan as a power cut had the already seated guests waiting for what seemed like an eternity. (Good thing they’d served the strongest espresso in town upon arrival.) When the lights came on and the show finally did start it was sans music; something that always changes a show. For Marni it meant a certain austerity in the room, fuelled by the collection’s clean-cut Japanese vibes, which appeared in the kimono-like cuts of dresses and tops and in finical floral prints and appliqué blossoms, and the precise styling employing the sportswear elements that seem to be ever-present in spring collections (not that the same couldn’t be said for the florals).
For all its clinical calm, Consuelo Castiglioni’s collection was packed with the stuff that’s characterised the Spring/Summer 2014 season in London and Milan. From the heavily encrusted visors to the platform pool sandals and the statement jewellery, it was all very trendy. Outside the venue, the perpetual street style circus was already in full swing, but you couldn’t help but feel a little bit as if the camera ready looks worshipped by the people who feed that world had bubbled up – or trickled down, if you will – into this particular catwalk. Whether the addition of music had added another dimension to the show is anyone’s guess, but it did make for an interesting, contemplative start to the end of Milan. And for once, since there wasn’t any music to hide behind, people actually clapped properly at a show.
