More workmanship than wearability: Marni shows a highbrow artsy collection in Milan

Marni goes artsy craftsy in Milan

MILAN — Marni opened the last big day of the shortened fall-winter 2010-2011 Milan fashion week with a highbrow show that was more about workmanship than wearability.

Taking an artsy tack to fashion for her winter collection that was shown on Sunday morning, Marni designer Consuelo Castiglione produced true “opere d’arte” (works of art) that for the untrained eye were hard to conceive, let alone to wear.

Directly from the art world were graphic prints such as bold polka dots or paint brush wisps, inspired by contemporary British artist Gary Hume. These were fashioned into defined silhouettes where an accentuated shoulder or a stiff pannier waistline made the difference.

Detailing in this collection was all-important from the wool and fur intarsia for coats and jackets to the refined materials, including real laurel leaves dipped in metal, burnt wood, bone and crushed stones for “hard to ignore” jewelry.

Among the less complicated styles were pant suits with cropped trousers and loose sculpted jacket. These were richly embroidered for nighttime.

The Marni palette is also atypical at least for winter, with contrasting combinations of pink and red as well as beige and lime green, all gleaned from Hume’s work.

In the accessories department along with the artsy jewelry, Marni offered high heeled boots in perforated leather, long crotchet driving gloves and bags with a chromed metal frame and rounded resin handles.