Stepping inside the Sa Su Phi show on Friday afternoon, heavy black curtains obscured the vast windows of the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, an architectural jewel designed by Herzog & de Meuron.
The foundation was established by Inge Feltrinelli, the German-born photographer and director behind the namesake publishing house, who is the type of person who resonates with the discerning, in-command lady the brand’s founders Sara Ferrero and Susanna Cucco admire.
Once all the guests were seated, the curtains swung open to allow daylight to pour in and land on the captivating and offbeat color combos, a brand hallmark, such as the ruby red pant and blouse combo layered under a knitted capelet in aquamarine blue. The light also enhanced the contrast between the fluid silk shirt in liquid-looking metallic silver and the graphic pantsuit with a cropped blazer in gunmetal gray cashmere.
This sophomore Sa Su Phi runway effort added layers — both physically and metaphorically — to the brand’s fashion vocabulary.
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Take knitwear, for example, worked into a sculptural skirt that resembled an oversize sweater with the neck opening big enough to fit the waist. It was — somewhat counterintuitively — an architectural counterpoint to the fluidity of the silk shirt it was styled with. Knitted long capes morphed into armor-like dresses while arty knit headgear, in the shape of Pinocchio’s conical style, topped mannish suits and checkered topcoats or silk column frocks with plunging V-necks.
Rooted in feminine pragmatism with a range of easy-to-put-on peacoats and suits with culotte pants, the collection hinged on all the key tropes that have made the niche brand beloved in the span of less than five years. Fans include Molly Rogers, the costume designer behind “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” who had Meryl Streep don a few pieces from Sa Su Phi for the movie, including the signature “Lauren” blazer.
And what was not to love about the said strong-shouldered blazer in a very Milanese-weather-gray paired with a boxy pencil skirt in citrine yellow duchesse styled with a fitted burgundy shirt?
The designers know how to do cultured chic — which now has Miranda Priestley’s seal of approval, too.