Marni - any time of year
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The Erawan stocks up on great gear from the Italian clothing house
IT’S A BIT LATE, but no one’s complaining. Marni’s autumn-winter collection, highly praised by “Elle” and “Vogue” UK during Milan Fashion Week in September, has finally arrived at the Erawan Bangkok mall.
But it arrives accompanied by the Italian firm’s Summer Edition 2014, a clever mix of masculine and feminine, the 1940s and hip-hop, all expressed with effortless grace. The focus is on precise lines, volume and bold prints.
The functionality and the neat exactitude of uniforms are central to the collection. There’s a multipurpose cape, a quintessential Mao jacket, a blouson and a hooded shirt. But at the same time there’s the relaxed slouch of pyjama pants and airy shirts.
Accordion-pleat skirts and ruches have a feminine slant that’s smoothed by sharp coats and utilitarian jackets suited for urban expeditions. The inside of the outerwear contradicts the apparent simplicity of the outside: Tape draws bold outlines that are revealed through movement, adding another element to the intense graphic play of the organic and the geometric.
The overall feeling is light. Flowery prints transform a blazer. A belt cinched at the waist creates a feminine silhouette with a simple gesture. Loose trousers with elastic hems have the ease of a tracksuit and the impalpable firmness of a shirt. Long satin dresses are languid. Trousers and skirts stop at mid-calf, graciously.
Juxtapositions carry on in the prints. Geometric patterns such as overblown dots, infinite lines and moving cubes sit alongside woodcut garden prints and ink flowers.
This season Marni collaborated with illustrator and typographer Katja Schwalenberg, who created a series of layered lino-cut prints. The colour palette is pragmatic – tones of blue, black, white and cream are accented with dashes of yellow, rust and pale pink.
Firm yet light fabrics highlight the idea of ease. You have yarn-dyed oxford, crepe de chine, salt and pepper canvas, parachute cotton/linen toile, waxed denim, cotton poplin, compact jersey.
In the accessories collection there are elasticised shoes and mannish fringed lace-ups with metallic details, flat sandals with leather bows and wedge sandals. Bags are simple in shape with graphic motifs and prints making a statement. You get two-tone clutches of varying sizes, dots-embossed ladies bag and little shoulder styles.
The Bijou line is playful and bright: complex resin garlands and clusters of geometrical shapes, and flower and leaf pendants that recall childish drawings. Earrings are big, with multiple elements like leaves and flowers. The collection’s iconic little doll is dressed in the colours of different continents.
Sunglasses are affirmative. The bold shape is highlighted by metal pivots securing lenses on the outside of the frame.
