Irenebrination: Notes on Architecture, Art, Fashion, Fashion Law & Technology

Blessed Lambs, Sacred Yarns: The Making of the Pallium

In multiple posts last year we looked at the connections between fashion and religion, analysing not just modern designs, but also items venerated in particular places, including the Sacred Girdle in Prato and the cloak bearing the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Yet there are religious traditions that do not start with a finished garment, but with the actual material to make it. Today the Catholic church celebrates for example the feast of St. Agnes, a virgin martyr born in 291, and usually represented in paintings with a lamb in her arms.

According to a tradition that has continued for over 500 years, two lambs are usually blessed today at the Vatican. Their wool will be used to make the pallium, an ecclesiastical vestment donned by the Pope and by metropolitan bishops. This accessory must be made with a pure white wool prepared according to special traditions.

Usually the day before the feast of St Agnes the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in Rome wash and blow dry (yes, to remove the humidity from their fur) two lambs (raised by Trappist monks), that are then left to rest on a bed of straw.

On the morning of the Feast of St. Agnes, the legs of the lambs are tied (to avoid them running away), they are put in baskets and covered with white veils with the letters S.A.M. (St. Agnes Martyr) an S.A.V. (St. Agnes Virgin) and red and white flowers (to symbolise the martyrdom of St Agnes and her purity). The two lambs are first blessed in the church of Sant'Agnese fuori Le Mura, and then they are taken to the Vatican, where they are blessed again this time by the Pope. After the ceremony the Benedictine nuns of St. Cecilia in Trastevere take care of the lambs in their convent.

After Easter the lambs are sheared (they aren't killed), the wool is air-dried, carded, combed with hot irons and spun. The yarn is then employed to make woven textiles for the pallia, using with the looms in the nuns' workshop.

The pallia produced with this wool are given by the Pope to the metropolitan bishops on 29th June, the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (but they are taken to the Vatican on 24th June and left for a few days in the tomb of St. Peter).

This accessory is part of the bishops and the Pope's vestments: some historians say it comes from the attire of the High Priests of Israel or from the scarf the Roman emperor donned when he took part in important public ceremonies.

The pallium is a sort of narrow band with a loop in the centre resting on the shoulders over the chasuble and two dependent lappets, before and behind (once the garment is donned on the chasuble it looks like the letter Y). The pallium is decorated with six black crosses and sometimes garnished with three jeweled gold pins (the "aciculae").

Symbolically speaking the garment is a reference to the lost sheep rescued by the Good Shepherd and to Jesus as "the Lamb of God" (but you can read more about the symbols behind the pallium and the links between this accessory and papal power in the volume Bonds of Wool: The Pallium and Papal Power in the Middle Ages by Steven A. Schoenig).

Somehow this tradition that involves the making of a yarn to make a very special type of textile, fits well with the fashion schedule as Pitti Filati, the international yarn fair, kicks off this week.

Geometric Abstractions in Knitwear (& Missed Opportunities): Pringle of Scotland Men's A/W 19 Vs Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Bold and abstract geometries can help creating great knitwear designs, so it was only natural for Pringle of Scotland to turn to them for its A/W 2019 menswear collection. The brand's in-house design team didn't actually look at random geometries, but focused on the company's heritage, getting inspired by the Outer Hebrides and Harris Tweed, and adding an arty twist with motifs borrowed from the chevron and diamond patterns created between 1915 and 1923 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. 

The Scottish architect is actually not a new inspiration in the history of men's fashion: as you may remember Yusuke Takahashi moved from Mackintosh for Issey Miyake's Autumn/Winter 2015-16 menswear collection.

Mackintosh's patterns proved a great idea as the graphic diamond shapes were recreated in three-dimensional forms on chunky sweaters or employed to create intriguing motifs on less voluminous twin sets. At times they also appeared as prints on long-sleeve T-shirts. Outerwear, including jackets in Harris Tweed, was instead more functional than arty.

Shame, though, that the team didn't seem to have enough time to study more patterns or take in consideration Mackintosh's ouvre, rather than just a few motifs. The bright and bold stencilled decorations designed by Mackintosh in 1916 for 78 Derngate, Northampton, England, could have provided indeed further inspirations, in the same way as the architecture of the Glasgow School of Art may have contributed to add to the collection a quirkier touch. Mackintosh created between 1917 and 1920 textile designs that clearly showed he had a strong graphic instinct, and used colours in a fearless way. So, in many ways, the collection ended up being a bit of a missed opportunity. 

At the moment Pringle of Scotland is also focused on developing a new discourse revolving around sustainability, and has launched a line of recycled cashmere and wool jumpers under the label "Conscious Craftsmanship". The designs are 95% made from old garments pulled apart and re-spun, which is a sort of trend at the moment, as seen also on Zegna's runway in Milan.

Will Menswear Go the Haute Couture Way? (Dior Homme A/W 19)

A pair of mysterious eyes and the words "With their own light and lash I have drawn them" appeared on a tactical armour-like vest that opened Dior's menswear show that took place yesterday, during Paris Fashion Week. From a distance you may have thought the decorative motif was printed, but this arty mosaic was actually hand-embroidered using tiny and shiny beads, a technique borrowed from Haute Couture.

As the collection progressed, Creative Director Kim Jones made other references to the codes, semantics and techniques of high fashion.

Coats and jackets were perfectly cut (diagonal cuts prevailed especially in the jackets of Jones' Tailleur Oblique), but they were remixed with a romantic element borrowed from Haute Couture – a fluid satin or velvet sash-scarf. At times the sashes crossed the body and wrapped on one side, spilling on the floor; at others they were seamlessly integrated into jumpers. Masculine tailoring was combined with a feminine touch: one flowed into the next, fluidly, without creating any harsh juxtapositions.

The trick – moulage – that is draping directly on the body came directly from Haute Couture, but Jones also looked at the cut of a 1955 dress in the archives of the house for this collection.

Further references to Dior and couture were to be spotted in the cropped short-sleeved animal print mink jackets matched with long opera-length gauntlets.

There was also an art collaboration as Jones enlisted American artist Raymond Pettibon, more famous for having created the logo for punk band Black Flag (yes, the four black bars) and the cover art for Sonic Youth's 1990 album "Goo".

For Jones this was an opportunity to continue the arty dialogue that started in December in Tokyo with Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama, who provided the prints for the Pre-Fall collection.

If you know Pettibon you will also know that the opening tactical armour-like vest that opened the Dior show replicated a drawing that the artist uses as his Twitter avatar (View this photo).

But the artist also vandalised an archival Dior leopard print and transformed it into a drip effect replicated on a jumper and came up with a Mona Lisa figure printed on a top and hand-embroidered on the shirt that closed the show. The latter took 1,600 hours and 12 petites mains to make it.

Materials - double-faced cashmere, silk, satins - and some of the shades from the main palette (think dove grey and a soothing lilac that merged with mauve) were also borrowed from Haute Couture.

Jones didn't forget to add a few technical and sporty touches for luxury fans who may be into trends, but may not be into couture: there were nylon spats, backpacks and Saddle bags (also in the pocket-size version), accessories for smartphones (again with Pettibon's printed motifs) and pieces that looked like elegant versions of utilitarian workwear (the tabard-like vests were actually inspired by the many statues around Paris that wear armours).

The setting (the show took place in a black tent at the foot of the Eiffel Tower) was suspended between the future and the past: models stood still like statues on a 250-foot-long conveyor belt that carried them. It may have been a reference to a not so distant fashion future, with a factory printing the perfect clothes and the perfect human(oids), but it actually was a representation of early high fashion shows, with models perfectly posing in the couture salon.

There was no message involving politics, even though the show had to be anticipated to Friday to avoid possible disruptions from the anti-government protesters known as the "gilets jaunes", but there was a message for the industry. Through this collection Jones highlighted the possibility of Haute Couture for men, something that was also referenced in Raf Simons' A/W 19 collection.

You may argue that a luxury house already produces expensive high fashion and exclusive pieces on order for wealthy clients (both men and women), so there would be no need for Haute Couture menswear. Yet, this men's season was rather fractured and irrelevant, with London overshadowed by Brexit, Florence's Pitti offering a jumble of ideas, but no coherent vision, and Milan being reduced to more or less a weekend. Paris resisted pretty well, but Jones left people with a question, can menswear go the Haute Couture way and engage people on an entirely new level (when was the last time we saw a museum exhibition focused on menswear or exclusive men's pieces in a dedicated museum exhibition?)? Time, as usual, will tell.

A Diptych for the Future: Raf Simons A/W 19

Yesterday's post focused on two collections - Valentino and Undercover's - showcased during Paris Fashion Week that had a special connection between them and in a way also explored the theme of the double. Yet, also Raf Simons was facing dichotomies of his own on his runway, held on Wednesday in Paris at the Shangri-La Hotel.

His show - symbolically entitled "Diptych" - was indeed divided in two parts and included a musical intermission as well.

The first section of the show featured a series of coats in different shapes and silhouettes - from oversized and wide in David Byrne's style to elongated and dramatically long.

Some of the coats and jackets were covered with keychain-like embellishments of the sort that may be favoured by teenagers to personalise an item, such as flowers and cherries; others were decorated with Simons' trademark patches, reproducing stills from David Lynch's films (Simons is a well-known fan) such as "Blue Velvet" and "Wild at Heart".

There was also another connection with Lynch as an image of Laura Dern crying in "Blue Velvet" was featured on the runway invitation (but she was also sitting in the front row).

This first section of the show mainly featured sensible Autumnal shades comprising black, white, navy blue and camel.

One coat also featured small nonsensical messages on the shoulder area, but more messages appeared on the knee patches of white cotton trousers - they were about "nomophobia" (fear of being without one's mobile phone), "xanthophobia" (fear of the colour yellow), and heroes and losers.   

Most models wore hats that looked like hybrids between a jockey hat and a First World War helmet, but accessories also included leopard print gloves and steel cap shoes or footwear personalised with small decorative touches such as a key.

Then followed a musical intermission courtesy of Belgian post-punk band Whispering Sons; the band also played live in the second part of the show that looked very similar to the first, but with a twist. 

The floor-length coats this time (again with charms attached) came in pastel nuances or in rich and lively shades - from bright orange and yellow to fuchsia and aqua green - colours that pointed at Haute Couture. Further flashes of colours were added via stockings tied casually around the waist.  

The focus of the collection was on the architecture of a menswear staple - the coat - and the possibility of mutating and transforming it by altering its silhouette via several tailoring tricks.

The collection presented a contrast between tailored classical and elegant moods and more modern colours, motifs and silhouettes to offer something for all sorts of consumers, from more conservative and older ones to younger generations willing to leave behind streetwear and try tailoring with a twist. 

Yet, behind the double fashion message, there may have been a hint at events in Simons' life that generated very personal dichotomies: praised by the critics for his collections at Calvin Klein, Simons eventually departed the brand in December (though the designer explained the fashion media that the collection was designed before he left). 

What's in store for Simons remains a mystery for the time being: there was a sort of balance in this A/W 19 collection between different moods, but you seriously wonder if the designer will accept in the near future further roles as Creative Director of a famous house or brand after his experiences at Dior and Calvin Klein.

Maybe this could be the right time for Simons to concentrate on his own brand and venture on more interior design projects. The possibilities for someone like him are endless, and since, despite brands tell us all is well in fashion, the industry is living a moment of confusion (especially when it comes to seasons, men and womenswear, fashion shows and retailing...), he may as well focus on something slightly different from mere clothes and accessories (film costumes - for Lynch? - may be an option at some stage...) where he may find an entirely new life direction. 

Are Complementary Collections the Next Big Thing in Fashion? (Valentino + Undercover Men's A/W 19)

If you analysed the main motifs characterising Valentino's A/W 19 menswear collection just for what they were, you may have wondered if Pierpaolo Piccioli was maybe using the sci-fi theme to make a comment about some contemporary social issues.

Flying saucers flew indeed over a lunar landscape along the hem of Piccioli's coats or were screen-printed on tops and jackets.

Were they a reference to our universe and to uncharted planets or to the fact that what is alien, and therefore different from the norm, scares many people out there, especially those ones in power?

That could have been one of the hidden meanings of the collection, but there was a simpler explanation behind the visually eye-catching graphics of mysterious spaceships.

The graphic images integrated in the collection were indeed courtesy of Japanese designer Jun Takahashi of Undercover: Piccioli met him when Valentino did the Pre-Fall 19 show in Tokyo last year and, after a collaboration for products available only in the Tokyo-based boutique of the luxury fashion house, they decided to work together on prints that they could use in their menswear collections.

The inspiration for the graphic motifs actually came from Edgar Allan Poe, as proved by his portrait, at times covered by the image of the flying saucer, while other motifs included skulls and a joint "VU" logo (Valentino-Undercover).

The collection was based on relaxed shapes and silhouettes that maybe hinted at '80s Italian tailoring, but featured quite a few references to sport and streetwear (see the collaboration with Birkenstock), even though Piccioli seemed keen on moving away from it. 

So, while the suits were laid back, they still fell in the luxury category; the soft knits with faded portraits of Poe (and of Beethoven - more about him later on in this post...) and a spaceship covering his face, looked instead more Undercover than Valentino.

At times the flying saucers came in Valentino red or disappeared from the coats and trench-coats-cum-capes to be replaced with the logo of the house (definitely not a desperately original choice, but an option for luxury fans obsessed with logos).

But if that's what was happening yesterday in Paris in the mid-afternoon on Valentino's runway, a few hours later the story continued and developed during Undercover's show.  

Here Takahashi expanded the Edgar Allan Poe theme with the myth that says he was a time traveller: the legend comes from the fact that the writer seemed to have predicted real events (an incident of cannibalism after a shipwreck) that happened in 1884, in the book The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, published in 1838 (the name of the victim in the real shipwreck was Richard Parker, just as in Poe's novel...).

But, apart from Poe, there was another inspiration - Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange and its adaptation by Stanley Kubrick.

The references were clear in the droog-like nose masks, (feathered) bowler hats and canes accessorising the opening looks that mainly featured colourful robes, mohair shawls, sashes and thick and cozy knitted gauntlets.

Then came the coats and jackets with images of Malcolm McDowell as Alex in the film, dressed in his iconic costume designed by Milena Canonero, or with his eyes open as he undergoes the experimental behaviour modification treatment called the "Ludovico Technique".

There were more references to A Clockwork Orange, including the Russian-inspired Nadsat slang: words such as "Prestoopnick" (criminal), "Choodessny" (wonderful), "Horrorshow" (great) and "Moloko Vellocet" appeared on knitted jumpers and faux fur coats.

In A Clockwork Orange Alex is very fond of classical music and in particular of Beethoven, that he calls "the old Ludwig Van". His passion is destroyed by the music - Beethoven's Fifth Symphony - that ends up accompanying his aversion therapy that makes him unsable to enjoy classical music again. So here's explained the presence of Beethoven in this collection and in Valentino's. 

There were other elements that could have been lined to the time traveller theme: the invitation featured a picture of Caravaggio's "Supper at Emmaus" (1601) and the feathers on the bowler hats matched with gauntlets were maybe references to some of the paintings by Caravaggio with young men sporting feathered hats (mind you, there was a moment when you could swear the style was more Bonnie Prince Charles than Caravaggio...) and maybe the connection with Alex wasn't so far off as Caravaggio was a rebellious and hot tempered man.

The sci-fi theme seen on Valentino's runway returned towards the end of Undercover's show with the same flying saucers, but, while Piccioli employed them for the hems of coats, Takahashi used them to decorate puffers and track pants.  The show closed with droog-like figures clad in blood red, rather than white, and wearing ample coats and jackets. 

This was not the first time Takahashi turned to Kubrick: for his A/W 2018 collection, the designer used indeed images taken from "2001: A Space Odyssey", while in the history of fashion the droogs appeared every now and then on the runways (from Elio Fiourcci's to Alexander McQueen's). 

Yet seeing two contemporary designers working together and then using the same graphic elements in both their collections showcased in the same day during the same fashion week, is a first in the history of fashion.

According to Piccioli, this was a social experiment: at times it didn't works so well, first because some motifs risked of being replicated endlessly from one show to the next; second, at Valentino's Piccioli seemed to have fewer ideas compared to the colours, accessories and details Takahashi may have stolen during fantasy time-travelling sessions that appeared on Undercover's runway. 

Sure, you could argue the clothes and accessories in these two shows are aimed at different consumers (take into consideration the emphasis on tailored moods verging towards couture at Valentino's and on more functional clothes at Undercover's...), but then again consider if the same graphic motifs in two different collections may generate confusion or even play against each other once the clothes end up in the shops.

Will the "Complementary Collection" (and presentation) become a trend? Hard to say, but, given the fact that people are losing interest in fashion shows, maybe this is one way to get more attention (well, there's always safety in numbers...). As for Takahashi, it is undeniable that this collaboration works well with him: in the past he has indeed played well with the theme of the double and with dichotomies, so this collaboration was a chance for him to expand the discourse and enrich his personal fashion vocabulary.  

Comme des F*ck Brexit: When a Never-Ending Saga Continues

The menswear shows may have moved to Paris, yet the attention of the general public last night wasn't certainly on fashion, but was focused on what was going on in London.

British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a historic defeat when MPs rejected her Brexit plan voting against it by 432 to 202 (118 Conservative rebels joined Labour MPs in the vote). In the meantime, Leave and Remain supporters gathered outside Westminster in Parliament Square, their banners, slogans, colourful accessories and flags supporting the UK or EU contributing to the atmosphere of theatrical chaos.

Yet the devastating verdict doesn't shed a light on what will happen next: the UK is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29 with or without a deal, but, while Brexiters keep on talking about honouring the results of the referendum even with a catastrophic no deal, the opinion of the general public may have changed with many asking for a second referendum.

Many representatives of the fashion industry spoke against Brexit from the early days of the 2016 referendum, as they know that it would have an impact on imports and on talents working at all levels of the industry.

In a way Brexit has already been having an impact on the economy of the country as it has left it suspended in a climate of uncertainty, contributing to the crisis of some sectors. Retailers for example are already suffering from online competition and the value of the pound that has been on a rollercoaster ride for the last two years. In the meantime also small companies based outside of the UK are suffering from this uncertainty: Europe-based Amazon vendors (and that includes small independent entities as well) are seeing themselves cut off from the UK marketplace for not owning a British VAT number, even when the registration threshold for distance-selling into the UK is £70,000 (so, why is that happening? Is Amazon confused about Brexit? Well, we all are after all...)

The British Fashion Council (BFC) expressed its support for remaining in the EU since the very beginning and today it issued a statement highlighting once again the fact that a no deal would have a disastrous impact on the fashion industry (materials would have to be imported and would be more expensive or they may even get stuck at customs as freedom of movement and trade guaranteed by EU membership wouldn't exist anymore).

In an official communication issued today the BFC stated that a No Deal Brexit is a scenario that should be avoided at all costs, explaining,"The ongoing uncertainty and confusion that a no deal creates will have a negative impact on our industry, where investment is already impacted from the uncertainty being faced. A no deal situation will result in no transition period, and with an industry that is predominantly SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), we would struggle to cope with the trade realities that it would bring."

The British Fashion Council is backing a call for The People’s Vote, a cross-party group including some MPs, currently demanding a new referendum on Britain's potential exit from the European Union (as you may remember, last year Julian Dunkerton, multimillionaire and founder of the popular brand Superdry, donated £1m to the campaign).  

The saga continues as Theresa May faced a vote of no confidence today and survived it, so she will speak to the MPs and probably return to Brussels for further changes before putting a deal before Parliament again. So for the time being there is not much to do apart from showing your disapproval and protest in a fashionable way: you can do so with Vivienne Westwood EU/UK flag heels, or via T-shirts by various designers, including artist Jeremy Deller who added the magic words "F*ck Brexit" to well-known phrases or brands, coming up with hybrids such as "John& Paul& George& Fuck Brexit" or "Comme des Fuck Brexit" for the discerning fashionista, and legendary slogan T-shirt designer Katharine Hamnett, who has created "Cancel Brexit" and "Second Referendum" shirts. What's to come Brexit-wise? A new deal along the lines of the Norwegian model with the UK retaining access to the EU’s single market and freedom of movement? A second referendum? Who knows. But at least you know what to wear as the never-ending saga continues...  

The Monster Within: Prada Men's A/W19 and Pre-Fall 19

Nowadays designers have got to be really careful when they release a product or a collection since a particular inspiration may offend this or that group of people.

Maybe bearing in mind what happened last December when some of the fantasy charms in the brand's Pradamalia range were deemed offensive as they seemed to evoke blackface, Miuccia Prada tried to avoid potential accusations by turning for her A/W 19 menswear and Pre-Fall 19 collections not to a human but to a monster – Frankenstein's.

The set for the catwalk show, held last Sunday in the Deposito performance space at the Fondazione Prada, evoked a laboratory where mysterious experiments may be carried out, with its metal floors lined with sinister exposed-filament bulbs.

There were actually two sides to the collection: the green face of Frankenstein's monster, his large disembodied hands and lightning bolts and roses appeared as fun prints on shirts, tops and pencil skirts. Thick soled shoes in bright colours also pointed at the monster's footwear in some of the famous films about him.

The monster theme also reappeared in the knitted tops that seemed to sprout patches of faux fur in contrasting colours around the shoulder area (the effect was replicated in the hats that with marabou trimmings resembling the crazy hairstyle cartoon characters may get after getting electrocuted...), but also in the imperfect final jumpers that looked as if they were made by an amateur knitter and that featured intarsia bolts and knitted hearts safety-pinned on the breast (Frankenstein's creature was, after all, a monster with a big heart...).

The humorous horror theme was juxtaposed to a military mood represented by tailored suits (at times cinched at the waist with multiple leather belts), padded bomber jackets, coats and well-sculpted strapless dresses covered with large utility pockets (the latest chapter in the utility pocket saga we explored a while back).

The palette in this section of the show was rather somber and included military green, navy blue and black, while bold colours prevailed in the Frankenstein's monster section.

A lighter mood returned in the pale blue shirts and dresses covered in sparkling rhinestones and ample jumpers decorated with rows of large gems and stones.

Apart from the chunky-soled shoes and sneakers, the accessory offer included harness-style backpacks, multiple mini-bags and geometrical glasses.

Surely Frankenstein's monster wasn't a new inspiration since it has already appeared on different runways and collections in the history of fashion. But that wasn't the point.

Miuccia Prada was indeed trying to use this figure in both a literal way (monster prints sell well...) and in a conceptual and metaphorical way.

Frankenstein's creature was indeed hoping for love and understanding, but encountered the hate of men. So that dichotomy in the collection between humorous monster faces and regimented militaristic styles was the physical representation via clothes of the human/de-humanised, sensitive/insensitive, compassion/cruelty juxtapositions. Besides, Prada employed the theme of romantic horror to ponder a bit on the rejected and the disenfranchised of our times (a difficult thing to do through a collection for a luxury fashion house) and Frankenstein's monster was a way to approach this difficult theme in a lighter way.

Prada was also fascinated by Mary Godwin, author of Frankenstein and wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley, who published the book anonymously because readers wouldn't have been interested in a story writter by a woman. Miuccia Prada is not in the same condition as Mary Shelley as the media are keen to hear what she's got to say, but, at the same time, what she says may be misinterpreted or considered as pretentious since she is in a priviledged position and leads a luxury house. So Doctor Frankenstein's creation was for the designer an excuse to ponder about several themes and issues.

Miuccia is an influencer so expect monsters to be all over the place come next season (and expect the Frankenstein monster shirts on this runway to replace Prada's popular short-sleeved shirts with flames and monkeys).

The collection is also an introduction to an upcoming season of Japanese horror films that will be screened at the Fondazione Prada: as Miuccia Prada explained to the press, her passion for trashy horror films sparked some of the motifs, colours and ideas for the men's collection, so fashionistas (with a passion for cinema)'d better take a note about the screenings in their diaries if they want to learn more about Miuccia's taste. In the meantime they can start rewatching the various movies about Frankenstein's story, that will keep them busy at least until these collections are out.  

Could Lookbooks Be the Runways of the Future?

Some of the Pre-Fall shows we looked at last year, took place in unique locations, including the Temple of Dendur at the Met Museum (Chanel) and Tokyo (Valentino).

Yet, though entertaining, the fashion circus can be exhausting for those who follow it to report from it, while it is extremely expensive for the companies, brands and fashion houses involved.

The current menswear shows are also definitely proving that designers' enthusiasm is waning when it comes to separate shows, and, while mixed men and women's runways are the option for many, others have been opting for coherent presentations.

Now Pre-Fall collections aren't usually showcased via runways, but lookbooks can be boring to look at if they are not accompanied by personal appointments that allow you to look at the actual clothes.

That said for the next Pre-Fall 19 season there were some exceptions, among them Antonio Marras' lookbook. The latter doesn't feature any special locations or famous celebrities, but two young women, maybe reminiscent at times of the protagonists of Elena Ferrante's L'amica geniale.  

The story told by the lookbook with the girls leafing through books (Zanichelli Dictionaries by Marras?) or posing with interior design vintage pieces, is secondary to the clothes and accessories, though, that remain the main focus.

The lookbook images offered indeed the possibility of going through a coherent wardrobe that featured a lot of possibilities, including sensible grey pinstriped suits with a mannish cut, blue skirt suits with a school uniform-like flair about them and jackets and peacoats with colourful inserts of fabric.

The knitwear offer was also ample with comfy cardigans at times characterised by playful elements and threads in contrasting colours to give the impression the garments were old and mended, as if they were a kintsugi vase (the artisanal approach is definitely not missing in this collection).

There were graphic frocks in checkered or floral patterns and romantic see-through lace dresses enriched with metallic effects for those wearers to want to dare, and more modest ones that can be paired with matching trousers for a shy consumer still looking for something quirky and original. 

Shoes were sturdy and bags came in all shapes and sizes and were often characterised by geometrical motifs that may have been borrowed from traditional Sardinian rugs.

In a nutshell it was Marras, but in a controlled and restrained way, edited and well-crafted to offer the proverbial something for everybody, with plenty of separates to combine and remix for day, evening and night, and designs you may want to invest in since they look timeless rather than trendy. In the '80s when Italian fashion was about selling clothes and accessories, this sort of no-nonsense approach was favoured by the industry.

Nicolas Ghesquière also opted for a focused lookbook for his Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall collection, with one main difference, his 17 models (shot by Collier Schorr) were all stars, often from Oscar-winning movies or popular TV shows, and included Kelela, Alicia Vikander, Jennifer Connelly, Ruth Negga, Laura Harrier, Indya Moore and Urassaya Sperbund.

The collection and the casting were absolutely eclectic, but at times the stars and their names overshadowed the clothes and accessories. The latter represented Ghesquière's futuristic codes with a touch of country added (for that "Westworld" dichotomy...), a semantic he has been developing for a while at Louis Vuitton.

Yet, while the floral sheaths and pants, lace dresses, plaid blanket jackets, tartan print vests with leopard-print cycling shorts and capelet blouses (the whole obviously accessorised with the brand's Monogram bags) may be trendy, this lookbook is more about the story of the stars involved and about how they wear the clothes (yes, we know, they look unbearably cool...) than about the designs pictured. So could lookbooks be the runways of the future? Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully. But make them no-nonsense if they are meant to sell clothes to real people. 

Film Quotes as Fashion Inspiration: Erika Cavallini Pre-Fall 2019 Vs Michelangelo Antonioni's "Red Desert" (1964)

Cinema remains one of the main fashion inspirations for many designers: quite often designers borrow ideas from a colour palette, the personalities of the main characters or the creations made by a costume designer for a specific film.

Erika Cavallini looked in her Pre-Fall 2018 collection to Luis Buñuel, while she called her A/W 2018 collection "Miseria e Nobilità" (Misery and Nobility), a title borrowed from the eponymous 1954 Italian film by Mario Mattoli (taken in turn from a 1888 play by Eduardo Scarpetta).

For her Pre-Fall 2019 collection Cavallini went back to the '60s by rewatching Antonioni and his "Deserto Rosso" (Red Desert, 1964), the director's first colour feature.

Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma's light and colours inspired the main palette. The colours in this film are very evocative: the smoke of the factory seems to wrap up buildings and characters in a depressingly suffocating way that mirrors the state of mind of the main character, Giuliana (Monica Vitti).

Married to Ugo, the plant manager of the factory that dominates the landscape around them, Giuliana is locked in a depressed and mentally tortured condition, an alienation and emotional isolation made worse by the polluted landscape of the factory belching steam and sinister yellow smoke in a bleak sky.

Beige and brown appear a lot in the collection, but there are further references to the industrial landscape in the powdery green fluid jackets with wide-leg trousers and in the motif reproducing branches of trees, like the ones seen in the movie, representing the ghosts of an abandoned and forgotten nature.

Cavallini also referenced the blue of the abandoned fishing cottages and applied it to jackets and thick scarves, while the neurotic yellow tone of the factory smoke was used for sweaters and coats, but also for small accessories like belts.  

One of the most famous quotes from "Deserto Rosso" - "Mi fanno male i capelli, gli occhi, la gola, la bocca" (My hair hurts, my eyes, my throat, my mouth), that was actually taken from a poem by Amelia Rosselli - was also reprinted on the back of an ample hoodie.

And while this collection didn't feature more interesting creations such as shredded and recombined clothes as seen among Cavallini's A/W 18 designs (in the style of Margiela, where the designer worked for a short time at the end of the '90s), this quote could be the perfect statement to express our collective and unbearable pain of living in our modern and complex times.

From Architectural to Sustainable: Ermenegildo Zegna A/W 19

There was an architectural mood hanging over Ermenegildo Zegna A/W 19 menswear collection. Showcased yesterday in the transit hall of the monumental Milano Centrale railway station, designed by Ulisse Stacchini and inaugurated in 1931 (in the history of fashion there was another show that took place around Milan Central Station - Moschino's Spring/Summer 1984 collection, for the film "Sotto il vestito niente"), the collection included designs characterised by a clean cut and that were at times made with solid jacquards featuring graphic aerial views of cities and skyscrapers and embroideries of commuters.

Creative Director Alessandro Sartori was fascinated by the idea of the railway station as a place where people are on the move, where they get connected, arrive and leave from, and where they often make new friends, so a place where diversity happens and where stories are written and told.

Though this is almost an obvious explanation for choosing a railway station as the perfect location for a catwalk show, it was a daring statement, especially while Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini is endlessly raving against migrants on social media.

So, while Salvini stubbornly rants about closing ports without finding a real solution to the migrant crisis, the station in Milan (and the runway, characterised by a casting in which diversity was emphasised) represented an open world, that same melting pot that the minister hates.

The palette was muted, but reasonable for the Zegna customer and for those men who may be on the lookout for modern clothes but favour comfortable shades such as dark blue, soft grey, khaki and plum.

The mood was relaxed and casual, but definitely not street: fabrics and construction were solid, thick and sculptural (something that worked pretty well with the architetcure of the station, but also evoked sturdy textiles used for train interiors), and at times pointed at uniforms; precise details - minimalist pockets, detachable collars and single closings - reshifted the discourse towards a more streamlined future, while decorative straps and bands around the trouser legs (a detail that may have been borrowed from uniforms) transformed the trousers into jodhpur-style pants.

Accessories featured technical handwoven leather sneakers, boots with double coloured uppers, a modular system of leather-clad cases that can be used to build a more personal case and hats made from a single piece of felt by Biella-based hatmaker Cappellificio Cervo (acquired last year by Zegna).

Apart from the jacquards, the collection included other patterns like checks, abstract letters covered in shiny tape and experimental textiles with suits made with threads of paper, leather and cashmere.

It was once you focused on the textiles that you realised architecture was just one of the themes: if you opened some of the garments you would indeed discover the label "Use the Existing".

The latter referred to the fact that the materials used to make these pieces (30 percent of the collection) were "pre-existing" as they were recycled with innovative processes. Fibres were indeed separated and recombined in another garment. 

Sartori hopes the day will come when an item can be returned to the brand that made it and recycled again, while consumers may get a discount in return. This is not a new plan as even high street stores have similar plans in action, but for Zegna it may mean looking back at its past and refocusing on the one thing that it used to do better than other companies – fabrics and textiles. The modernist ideal for the future may be therefore sustainable and not architectural, and that may be a new and more adventurous journey for Zegna (will it also have an impact on Thom Browne as Zegna acquired a majority stake in Thom Browne Inc at the end last August?). 

There is also another type of journey that the company will have to embark in pretty soon - dealing with guests in a more serious way and rebalancing gifts: avoiding to give for free too many leather sneakers (albeit in a different combination of colours...) to the front row guests will not hurt the company credibility, but actually restore it. Seeing too many people wearing the same shoes in the front row looked like an extremely contrived effort for a company that is hoping to put quality and textile innovation first.