Taking cues from Blumarine’s signature butterfly emblem, creative director Nicola Brognano thought it was time for his woman to undergo a metamorphosis.
For fall, she became a more nocturnal animal: more seductive, audacious and extremely aware of her body, as she left the teenage-y ways of previous seasons behind in favor of a fiercer attitude.
During a preview, Brognano said campaigns Helmut Newton photographed for the brand in the ‘90s inspired this transformation from girl to woman. In sync with the reference, he used the power of black — at times mysterious, at times fetish — to mark the new course, also adding nude and provocative pops of scarlet red to his consolidated palette of pink and lilac hues.
Silencing prints to focus on silhouettes and textures was a smart move, too. Sharp tailoring telegraphed Brognano’s more mature intentions, both in blazer jackets with cutouts on the hips and long coats with a dramatic effect. The latter compensated the body-hugging fits of sexy vinyl catsuits as well as minidresses and thigh-highs that paraded to the lush — and very appropriate — notes of Madonna’s “Bedtime Story.”
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Yet the plethora of curve-enhancing draped frocks felt a tad repetitive, and some elements introduced to build the sensual narrative, including garter belts worn over minidresses with plunging necklines, were tacky.
Elsewhere, Brognano reinterpreted Blumarine’s codes through roses sprouting on ribbed-wool cropped tops and skirts, or butterfly-shaped bralette tops. Other embellishments included sequins, rhinestones and crystal details injecting a dress-up quality to cropped cardigans, knitted pants and see-through frocks. A cascade of pearls chandeliering from a nude gown stood out in their contrast with the signature Bluvi cardigan rendered in maxi proportions.
Overall, this marked a maturity step for the aesthetic Brognano has been promoting at Blumarine, opening the door to a wider audience to engage with his sexy designs. See stunning Eva Herzigova closing the show in one of the velvet gowns to believe.