Francesco Risso is quickly becoming one of the absolute greats of fashion. His designs twist and manipulate the typically beautiful, a skill few others can imitate. What once read as an influence from Prada - Risso had previously worked under Miuccia - is now a skill that’s entirely his own. Risso’s mind is a cacophony of juxtaposing ideas, a Pandora’s Box that unleashes every season.
This season was magical. This was only his second womenswear show at the house of Marni, and Risso had broken through. If previous seasons had seen critics insist that Risso wasn’t aligning with the Marni codes, they were eating their words with this collection.
The set had beds scattered all around, editors were perched on pillows and comforters ready for the show - a brilliantly unorthodox arrangement that had people snapping and taking selfies right up until the lights and music turned up. Figures that appeared were Risso’s versions of Venus. Each dress cinched and flowed, tapering at the waist, bunching on the shoulder or exposing décolletage. The fifties cuts gave each model an ultra-feminine silhouette, one that harked of both tradition and modernity. Shapes were in neutral tones at first, as if to mirror a statue or bust, but quickly began appearing with cut-and-paste prints of art, statues, figures or material. A gallery tour of the greats from Marni.
Large-spotted coats with an almost kimono-like shape harked back to previous seasons, while pencil skirts with mini puffball trims and flowing asymmetric dresses felt Grecian. Guinevere van Seenus walked alongside British model Jess Maybury - two striking individuals whose features reflect Risso’s art references. Splashes of cobalt felt in keeping with the house, while giant breast-plates could only be Risso. Unorthodox and exciting this was non-stop organised chaos. The show notes read, ’Serve hot, like an unexpected slap,’ and boy, did this collection slap.
