Antonio Marras’ vivid imagination took a trip to Harlem, N.Y., for resort. Inspired by the colorful paintings of artist William H. Johnson, who portrayed the African-American community in New York in his colorful, almost naïf works, Marras built the wardrobe of an imaginative seamstress sewing her own clothes to look beautiful and chic on Sunday at the Abyssinian Baptist Church on 138th Street. The result was eclectic, creative and utterly beautiful.
A sense of artisanal craftsmanship informed the lineup. Imagining his muse of the season reworking fabric remnants and old clothes in her apartment, Marras delivered upholstery-inspired brocade coats embellished with crystals and embroideries, sweaters decorated with Lurex threads, Prince of Wales jackets splashed with ink-like stains and reworked denim.
While the micro floral lace, the embroidered striped frocks and the charming patchworks were unquestionably Marras, a group of tea dresses and separates came in unexpected sorbet colors, which nonetheless blended well into the distinctive decorative exuberance of the collection.