The first sign of black came at the twenty-second look, where it was featured only slightly, which for Francesco Scognamiglio is something of a shock since he’s most renowned for his work with black, brights, and gold. The light tone followed closely to the collection’s overall touch and feel –frothy butterfly ruffles looked playful and harlequin-like, loose-fitting pants with architectural center-pleats cut like air with the stride of models’ struts, less-is-more suiting looked effortlessly clean, while soft fur details decked many a coat collar.
Overall, the collection felt pared-down, both in sex and fervor, which may fare for him better in a retail environment than an editorial one. Consider his fantastic takes on bad taste (think gaudy golds, star-shaped bras, see-thru tops, and Little Mermaid palettes) and you’ll see this collection’s a rather safe play. As Scognamiglio matures into the more subdued, hopefully we’ll still find his overtly high-brow takes on low-brow looks within his designs, like here, where all he did was turn down the volume on the vulgar. See his finale piece, for instance: as one of the only two ravishing red pieces, you could easily have found their focuses to be upon the flesh, yet he opted for a high-slit instead this time around.
photo credits: Vincenzo Grillo, Imax Tree
