Peter Dundas’s debut collection for the house of Roberto Cavalli saw the new Creative Director endeavour to go back to the house’s fundamental elements. Dundas used to work within the Cavalli team, so he knows the house codes intimately.
Dundas' opening look paid tribute to Roberto Cavalli’s sand blasted jeans, which Cavalli first presented in 1994. Bubblegum pink and lilac jackets were worn with burnt out chainmail dresses and Tudor style doublet stitching – the medieval era was very big in the eighties, so this was a reference on a reference. Yes, the 1980s were what this collection was all about. Granted, it was updated for the girl of today. However, thick white belts worn over dresses and a rather cheap looking red military jacket reminded one of the less luxurious side of the decade. One couldn’t help look at this collection and see magazine pages full of high street versions in the coming season. This collection needed to look as high-end as possible, so as to distinguish the difference. Oversized trenches in warm sand tones looked like one already owned by Kim Kardashian. Peter Dundas has aligned himself with Kim, choosing her as a muse for the house. It’s sad when we think of someone else when we see Dundas' new vision for the first time. Just like at Moschino the other night, we have seen there is a difference between fashion design – and design made for the internet. Kim is not a fashion icon; she is an internet icon. Dundas is more than that.
The strongest pieces in the collection were the ‘ball skirts’. Perfectly styled by Jane How, they had an incredible ease about them when worn with dress down sweatshirt tees. Crystal spangled dresses reminded us of Peter Dundas’s debut at Emilio Pucci. That collection was a game changer, this collection wasn’t, but it was a real step up for Cavalli. This collection felt lighter and certainly more youthful. When Dundas went full force with unapologetically ruffled dresses, this was actually when his work looked the most confident. This was the Cavalli icon, right there.
