I keep jumping from Spring to Winter and back to Spring. I would like to pretend it is just a test to see if you are reading or just looking at the pretty pictures, but the truth is I am a massive fashion magpie. Anything that catches my eye gets written about, regardless of the season.
Marni Winter Edition 2011 definitely did catch my eye and I may even have shed a little tear while looking at the contact sheets and realising I wanted to own the whole collection. Once in a while, it occurs and makes me burst into song (the Fanilows here will promptly pick up on my little clin d’oeil).
Morning, just another day
Happy people pass my way
Looking in their eyes
I see a memory
I never realized
You made me so happy, oh Marni
Well you came and you gave without taking
but I sent you away, oh Marni
Well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
I need you today, oh Marni
More seriously, this is a collection that ticks all my special boxes: ladylike yet masculine, pattern mismatches, textures and an infinite potential for layering. The shoes themselves were enough to send me to Fashion Nirvana. I am partial to a pair of chunky Marni heels, but I think this time they really outdid themselves… Seeing this makes me wish I was going to Milan Fashion Week. There aren’t that many shows I am desperate to see, but this is definitely one of them.
My favourite silhouette is probably one of the most “accessible” – the negative heart print blouse and midi skirt are pretty much my perfect dream outfit.
I think what I love the most about Marni is the functionality of the designs. This is a label you can wear everyday (and kick some serious a** in the process) but the concept of the collections is avant-garde, creating the perfect style equilibrium and reconciling extreme wearability with high fashion.
True love.