Towards the end of a season's runways you usually start getting more precise ideas about specific trends and inspirations. As the menswear shows closed on Sunday it became clear that Italian painter and sculptor Ernesto Michahelles, better known as Thayaht is one of the inspirations for the S/S 20 season.
The latter designed the "tuta", T-shaped overalls with a belted waist and, in the early '20s Thayaht started working for Madeleine Vionnet, producing gowns with precise geometric cuts that followed the principles of Cubism. Thayaht's comes back in fashion every now and then and, quite often, he is unacknowledged.
We saw vague Thayaht's references in Bode's overalls and sandals, and there were hints at Thayaht's moods also on Kenzo's S/S 20 runway, in particular in the denim dungarees, reminiscent of the "tuta", and in the sandals in bright colours that called to mind the shape of sandals Thayaht designed for a magazine to explain the 1929 Summer trends (see picture eight in this post).
The collection that seemed to evoke the most Thayaht's moods was Lanvin's. The show took place in Lucien Pollet's 1933 indoor swimming pool, and the opening looks featured wave-like relief motifs along the sleeves and legs.
They called to mind Thayaht's drawings for Vionnet, showing a woman standing in a long dress with a wave pattern or swimming, surrounded by a swirling wave, and were accessorised by leather sandals that found echoes in Thayaht's.
A delicate hand-painted pattern in violet, pink and green painted by Thayaht in the '20s seemed to be evoked instead in the stylised floral pattern on a violet red and pink jacket matched with a green and aqua green top.
The collection also included versatile knitwear pieces for both men and women in bright and bold blue and yellow shades, their silhouettes hinting at Thayaht's moods and the colourful geometries of the beach toga, but also the colours of his brother RAM (Ruggero Alfredo Michahelles)'s paintings "Île de Cythère" (1933) and "Two women and one figure turned back" (1934).
Further pieces included leather sailor collars, khaki suits and skirts, paisely prints (that may have been avoided since they didn't add much to the collection, but actually broke its geometry); light canvas suits, ample tunic-like hoodies, designs covered in nautical flags and an azure duffle coat that conjured up crystalline waters and endless summers.
There was also a strong playful component (probably derived from Creative Director Bruno Sialelli's time at Loewe) represented by the tops and bags featuring Jean de Brunhoff's Babar the Elephant (a character created in the early '30s, so in Thayaht's time) swimming, enjoying the beach or encountering a whale, themes that represented the freedom of childhood and the joy of having no responsibilities.
The references to Thayaht weren't probably conscious as Bruno Sialelli was thinking more about utopian summer holidays, adventures, travelling and escapism. In a way this collection was maybe more wearable and slighly less bohemian compared to Loewe's, but, hopefully, Sialelli will leave his past at Loewe behind and find more intriguing arty inspirations for the next seasons.
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