FALL/WINTER 2018-2019 COLLECTION
“YEAH, I’M A FOOL FOR YOU BABY / C’MON LET YOUR LOVE LIGHT SHINE ON ME…” ARETHA FRANKLIN; “OH ME, OH MY,” 1972 INCANDESCENCE & COLOR. HOT AFRO MOOD THE WICKED COOL MADE IN HARLEM WAY. NO HINT AT ALL OF ETHNICISM. BY CONTRAST, A RIVETING MIX OF SENSATIONS, A VIBE REVERBERATING ONLY IN THE MOST COSMOPOLITAN CITY ON THE PLANET. ACCENTS POSSIBLY STRONGER THAN USUAL ON THE FEMININITY OF CUTS AND CONSTRUCTIONS. AN EXPRESSIVENESS OF MATERIALS THAT AMPLIFIES AND DIFFERENTIATES M MISSONI’S FAMOUS KNOW-HOW MORE THAN EVER. MOST OF ALL, A PALETTE OF COLORS — DENSE AND INTENSE, LUMINOUS AND VIBRANT — THAT BRIGHTEN THE SEASON, PRACTICALLY SET COLD WINTER DAYS ON FIRE. FORMAL RULES EMERGE IN FULL FORCE, WITH ABSOLUTE PRECISION FOR EVERY TYPE OF LOOK, IN A SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAR GENERAL PANORAMA, NO OUTRÉ AND/OR QUIRKY ELEMENTS. SKIRTS ARE EXCLUSIVELY BELOW THE KNEE, PANTS ALL AT ONCE HIGH-RISE AND ANKLE STYLE. SEVERE MANNISH COLLARS HAVE SEMI-ELONGATED POINTS. WAISTLINES ARE DEFINITELY AN IMPORTANT REFERENCE. GEOMETRY IS A COMMON CONCEPT AS TO BOTH PATTERNS AND CUTS. FOR EXAMPLE, BLOUSE JACKETS ARE BOXY; SIDE FLAPS ON EVER-CLASSY SKIRTS ARE RECTANGULAR; THE OPEN-UNDERARM TRUMPET CAPE COAT HAS A UNIQUE GEO FLAIR, IN ADDITION TO MAKING THE USE OF SLEEVES OPTIONAL. THE BIAS-CUT SKIRTS AND DRESSES MAKE AN EQUALLY GEOMETRIC STATEMENT. THE SENSE OF MOTION MARKING THE LATTER MAY ALSO BE THE DECISIVE FACTOR ENHANCING THE FEMININITY OF MANY LOOKS. IT’S THERE IN THE DRESSES WITH FRONT PLEATS THAT GO FROM NECKLINE TO WAIST, THEN RESURFACE IN THE SKIRT; AND, ALL THE MORE SO, IT’S THERE IN THE SUNBURST PLISSE ITEMS THAT WIDEN COROLLA STYLE TOWARD THE BOTTOM. BUT, ON THE CONTRARY, DRESSES MAY ALSO HAVE A CLOSE-FITTING SKIRT AND AN AMPLE V-NECK BODICE. THE REALM OF MATERIALS MAKES WAY FOR INTERESTING NEW ENTRIES. FAVORITE STITCHES NOW COME IN THICKER FORM, FOR VERY MUCH OF A FULL, CHUNKY TEXTURE. EXACTLY AS IN THE CASE OF MATELASSES. NOT ALL TEXTURES ARE FULL, HOWEVER: QUITE THE CONTRARY, NOT INFREQUENTLY THEY ARE OFFSET BY AIRY LIGHT MESH AND SEE-THROUGH EFFECTS. SIMILARLY, DIFFERENT TYPES OF STITCHWORK AND/OR DIFFERENT PRINTS (ALSO CHROMATICALLY) MATCH UP IN SINGLE ARTICLES OF CLOTHING, IN A UNION WHERE GEOMETRIC SEVERITY MEETS STUNNING VIVACITY. LIKEWISE, LIGHT FEMININE FABRICS SUCH AS CREPE AND CADY ARE TEAMED WITH DISTINCTLY MANNISH MATERIALS SUCH AS BASIC OR DOUBLEFACE WOOL. MOHAIR MAKES A RETURN, IN BLENDS WITH OTHER YARNS, SO ENDOWING CLOTHES WITH A FINE FLUFFY FEEL. AS FOR AN AUTHENTIC PIECE OF NEWS, THIS SEASON M MISSONI’S SIGNATURE MULTICOLOR RIPPLE MOTIFS GIVE DEFINITION TO ENTIRE ITEMS. YET FAR MORE OFTEN THEY STAND OUT INTARSIA MODE ON A BLACK BASE — AS IF A PLASTRON — ON KNIT TOPS, TUNIC BLOUSES, DRESSES. THE HOTTEST TROMPE-L’OEIL OF THE COLLECTION? THE ONE WHERE THE LOOP (FUR)-STITCH KNIT HAS THE SEMBLANCE OF GENUINE FAUX FUR. THE WEALTH OF COLORS SPARKS VISIONS OF CREATION’S MAGNIFICENT LUXURIANCE OF HUES. BLACK, WHITE AND GRAY ARE NEUTRAL NUANCES THAT KEEP THE ORDER, ADD A SENSE OF BALANCE TO THE WHOLE. BUT ALONGSIDE, THERE ARE NATURAL EARTH (CAMEL, RUST) OR SPICE (CINNAMON, CURRY) TONES, AS WELL AS OTHER LOVELY NATURAL COLORS (CITRUS ORANGE, WINE RED, KHAKI BROWN, LAWN GREEN, PETUNIA PINK). SOFT AZURE TONES, CORNFLOWER AND AQUAMARINE, COUNTER BRIGHT ELECTRIC BLUE. MINIMUM COMMON DENOMINATOR: THE SENSATION OF LUMINOSITY AND WARMTH, ALONG WITH A LUSCIOUS MIX OF GEO, ABSTRACT AND CLASSIC DESIGNS. SOME ITEMS APPEAR TO PRESENT LINEAR PENCIL MARKS UNDER GEOMETRIC FIGURES AND WATERCOLOR BRUSHSTROKES IN BOTH PRINT AND JACQUARD FORM, AS IF TO FILL A VOID. MEANWHILE, CLEARLY ATTRACTING ATTENTION IS A SERIES OF MEN’S FABRIC PATTERNS: MEN’S TRADITIONAL SUIT MOTIFS, PRINCE OF WALES, MINI CHECKS AND TARTAN PLAIDS. LASTLY, THE LUREX UNIVERSE ENFOLDS A MYRIAD OF IDENTITIES: MESH, IN DIFFERENT STITCHES, GEOMETRIC INTERPLAY MODE, BRILLIANT PLAIN TONE, WITH ABSTRACT GRAPHIC EFFECTS, OR IN COLOR COMBOS REMINISCENT OF BYZANTINE MOSAICS, LIBERTY DESIGNS, EVEN THE AMAZING STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS OF GOTHIC CATHEDRALS.