Marni AW 2012 Review

Marni is one of my favourite brands. I mean, I don't wear it because I'm a guy (not that that would really stop me) and I'm poor. Poor people don't get Marni. They get Savers and Roger David

But if I were a rich girl I would bathe in Marni. I would look like a bookish art freak who is actually a massive slut but keeps it on the dl because I'm classy?

For quite a number of seasons Consuelo Castiglioni has been doing-for loss of a better word-kooky proportions. I can't quite explain it but there was always something not quite right about say the cut of a top or the way a dress moved. The end result was always identifiable clothes but I think the road she took to get there was never linear. See! I don't know what the hell I'm saying.
The fall 2012 collection seems more grounded and has a serious tone to it. It's not Gareth Pugh but it's more mature with the strange prints-a Marni signature-only appearing on a handful of looks allowing colour, shape, and texture to step up to the plate. The opening look was strong, a sort of cape-coat-dress in red and white with gold capped platforms. There were mushy knits, leather jackets that looked like they were moulded from plasticine, big squashy pockets, fur, military touches and giant fur collars. It didn't all work. Some of the modular lines on a couple of dresses could have been cut because the Vidal Sassoon bobs and white tights referenced the 60's just fine on their own.

Marni Spring Summer 2012 Review

Consuelo Castiglioni sent out appealingly dorky 50’s housewives for her latest spring collection. Modest tunics-a Marni staple-were back, this time done in pastels. Skirts had sheer beige underlays that contrasted well with the pastels and an eye-catching pink number was nice. There were textured floral prints, geometric leather shapes and a lattice print which really pulled together the final looks. What I like most about Marni is that it’s reliably cool. If you buy Marni (god I wish) you’re never going to be disappointed because Consuelo gently pushes each collection in new directions without freaking you out. With this collection it was the colours and textures that felt new and exciting. Look 17, a top/skirt with some side cut-outs was a standout. What’s with emerald green looking so fresh?

Art Freaks Unite!

It was a restrained outing for Consuelo Castiglioni’s Marni. All the trademarks were there but they were less dorky and awkward. The Marni girl is still an art freak weirdo that we all want to be friends with but this time around she’s acting her age a little more.

The prints were as always mindblowingly original. The navy and putty coloured print was my favourite. The jackets felt new with their stiff roughly hewn edges that created an ill-fitting shell. In real life they may not work but editorially they’ll rule. Castiglioni has such an eye for colour and proportion. Whether it be a slouchy leather glove or a thigh-skimming top she nails it every time. She is always a Milan highlight.

Weird but not too Weird at Marni

Perhaps taken apart this collection may not look very interesting on a rack in a store but I just can’t help but fall in love with Marni. Consuelo Castiglioni has a knack for colour and putting together a total look.

Sometimes the clothes are often so bare of zips and buttons and that they have that made at home look about them but the proportion, cut and quality suggest otherwise.

I just love the girl that Consuelo is dressing-herself presumably- because there’s that bit of Marni girl in me too, the girl that wants to dress in this sort of arty, weird-but-not-too-weird way. Oh and I’m a guy and I’m aware there’s Marni menswear but it’s never as charming as the womenswear.

A lot of serious critics of fashion won’t be looking too hard at Marni for the next big trend but whatever, Consuelo makes amazing clothes and pushes fashion in her own direction which is always refreshing.