Marni’s Consuelo Castiglioni has one of the industry’s sharpest eyes for color, and her unexpected color combinations work in the most eye-catching ways.
It’s little surprise that Marni is constantly gaining new shoppers, especially in cosmopolitan cities like New York. Her designs are perfect for women who want to look uniquely put together, but don’t necessarily have time to style a look that fits that mold. Castiglioni’s previous collections made it easy for her customers to achieve a striking style, and the same held true for her Spring 2011 collection. This time, however, her designs featured a more distinctly daring edge.
Marni has been continuously praised for its handbags, shoes, and jewelry, but this season, the brand’s accessories included a nod to swimwear. Bathing cap-like leather helmets – think Amelia Earhar – tied into the sportswear feel of mesh shirts, oversized perforated leather coats and vests, racer-back tees, biker shorts, and color-blocked fitted tops. If Anna Dello Russo would ever wear a wetsuit, I imagine she’d prefer one of the looks from this collection.
However, we can’t forget this collection is still Marni, a brand that’s more about aesthetics than function. High-performance fabrics were eschewed in favor of beautifully laser-cut leather pieces, and the runway show concluded with elaborate paillette dresses.
A variety of prints – including some tropical ones fashioned into maxi dresses – were also showcased. While the styling may not translate into “real life,” the individual patterns would do for wearable fitted tops, skirts, jackets, and dresses. For Spring 2011, Marni pushed the envelope without veering, for the most part, off a wearable and trendy path.
