Roberto Cavalli's Silver Plated Flapper Hippies
Roberto Cavalli busted out his best 70's inspired creations in Milan, drawing gasps of appreciation from a crowd that hung on every gilt feather, every crochet string that passed for a pair of pants, every wan, straight haired model that swayed down the catwalk wearing clothing that appeared to have materialized out of several planes of existence at once.
Fringes featured heavily on the runway, indeed some models appeared to be festooned in nothing but fringes upon fringes. (Remember when I urged you to rush out and purchase a fringed bag in order to be appropriately on trend? Well a fringed bag may not be enough. If the Cavalli example is anything to go by, fashion won't stop until you have a fringed face.)
Pants that reveal cross crossed flesh also made recurring visits, cementing the trend as a youthful one - for as we all know, grown women who wear slitted pants are either in a harem or Carmen Electra. Of course, if the immodesty of the slitted pants is too much for you, you can always cover them up in fringes. A fringe covers a multitude of sins, so it would seem.
Crochet was everywhere, and there's a trend I can really get behind. In a recession economy, being able to crochet your own outfits is a tremendous boon. There's something incredibly organic about the sight of crochet clothing, and though Cavalli's interpretation is skimpy at best, it is safe to say that the woman on the street may desire a little more coverage.
Cavalli has done the fashion world a favor with this collection however - he has reimagined the 70's in a way that doesn't rely on clunky wooden platforms and frumpy high waisted pants. As much as those things are going to be in this season in spite of our better judgment, this new, sleek, slinky 70's with a decent dose of 1920's flapper style in the mix is actually something that we can wear into the future. There's something all very forward about it, indeed, most of these outfits would not be out of place in a Star Wars film, which is the definition of all things futuristic, is it not?
In a stroke of brilliance, Cavalli actually managed to embrace the minimalist trend by avoiding the bright colors that have been trotted out by many other designers, (Fendi, Christopher Kane, we are looking at you, and it's burning our retinas out.) These pieces all manage to create drama out of subtle color - and that's what fashion should be at best, a subtle drama.
Click here to view a full gallery of images and individual pieces on Jezebel.
