Talk about a 180-degree turn. Having smothered her fall collection in mink, Anna Molinari opted for stark simplicity with her spring lineup for Blumarine. Inspired by Tina Modotti’s photos of Mexico in the Twenties, the folkloric-inspired looks contrasted with the ornate interior of the Palazzo Archinto in Milan, where the show was held.
Crop tops, peasant skirts, capri pants and dresses came in a muted palette of white, mud gray, chocolate and dusty pink. There was a graphic, Fifties element to outfits like a cropped white cotton shirt with balloon sleeves, paired with broderie anglaise pants, raffia-trimmed sandals and a wide-brimmed straw hat.
Minimal dresses and skirts in crisp cotton, some slashed above both thighs, evoked glaring sunshine and desert heat. A tropical flower pattern or embroidered print of desert shrubs gave full white skirts a more overt exotic appeal.
“I want my collection to be carried in stores and worn by people,” Molinari explained backstage. “It’s straightforward, without futuristic gimmicks or obsessions. My collection is contemporary, transparent, light and easy to wear.”
But somewhere around the middle, the display lost its focus. A gold leather bustier top, worn with cotton eyelet shorts, was one-half Madonna, one-half spring breaker. Eveningwear, meanwhile, was a jumble of ruffles, florals and a check-patterned organza in the designer’s signature rose pink.
It was as if Molinari, after her strong outing last season, had hit the pause button — or simply taken time off for a holiday in the sun.