Milan Fashion Week – Marni

Marni has been a long-term favourite of ours here at Feigned Perfection. The clothes may not be fashion forward, nor are they fashion backward (is that even a term), these are clothes for clever women, thanks to Consuelo Castiglioni's innovative use of hi-tech fabrics. To quote Tim Blanks who sums up the label in this great sound bite “Hi-Tech, Hi-Touch” the hi-touch referring to the houses exquisite couture like construction. This is modern couture (i.e. none of the OTT details that we love from Dior and Chanel instead it is in the technology of the fabrics) with ready to wear prices. The problem of seeing these clothes on a computer screen or in a magazine is that you really can’t get a feel for them, both in the way that they fit and fall on a real body (honestly the pictures off the catwalks make them look like lifeless sacks, but trust me once you put one on it’s a totally different story).

This season at Marni the hi-tech references continued, whether it was the use of plastics as in this skirt and new wave t-shirt

Or these amazing prints, that remind us of rippling water or even those iTunes visualisations that we all secretly love to watch.

Here we even have a slight sheer effect, except i'm guessing that it's the lucid plasticy material rather then thin cotton. Either way it's our favourite look of the show.

Amongst other prints were these, wood grains

and even a floral (who would have guessed in this season!!??)

There was also a recurring triangular motif in various colours of plastic. We love the splattered paint effect of the print mixed with the more graphic plastics

And if you find the plastic element a stretch too far then what about this almost art deco print T-shirt?

There was more then a hint of new wave with these 80’s colours and shapes

And the full skirts of the 1950’s were also referenced in Marni’s distinctively minimalist / maximalist style. One of the things this house is known for are its great separates which will go with plenty of other non-Marni options in your wardrobes, either toning them up or down.

Whilst Prada may have monopolised the Fairy’s of the forest market, Marni had it’s own take on the trend. This shift takes quite a literal perspective on the traditional floral prints; instead we have petals made of an undoubtedly interesting fabric with one of Consuelo’s favourite techno blues.

Yes for Marni this wasn’t too much a step away from the norm, but one must realise that this house has been on the avant-garde of Fashion for many years and has only recently (in the last few years) become mainstream enough to have their designs copied by the High Street. If Consuelo’s formula is as successful as it has been why change now?