There was one colour that dominated the runway at Roberto Cavalli this season, and that colour was red. Creative director Fausto Puglisi looked at Pompeii – the ancient city of Italy lost with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius about 2,000 years ago, we were shown a doc on this in Year 8 – for inspiration for FW25, and it was a literal one. Red lights shone on the show space as rich reds and fire and lava motifs took the runway.
One of the few collections of the season with strong prints – it’s Roberto Cavalli, after all, we weren’t expecting anything less – Puglisi showed florals and leaves on silky fabrics and embroideries, and Pompeii frescoes juxtaposed with looks of lava flowing on black satins and denim. Of course, we saw snake and leopard prints among the looks, but these are the flamboyant foundations of the house of Cavalli, they’re basically neutral.
The collection turned on the ‘70s opulence to the max. The flowy satins, the furs, the tailoring, the sequins, the mini-dresses all gave “Venus in Furs”, Studio 54 aesthetics that met with vampiric vibes of richer fabrics in red leathers and velvets. Meanwhile, ‘40s silhouettes were a nod to the costume designer Adrian (known for The Wizard of Oz, and The Philadelphia Story, among many other films), adding to the extravagance. Puglisi strived for the Italian luxury experience of lavish textures and silhouettes that are signature to Cavalli, while also providing some sleeker pieces to keep the balance. It seems that although a lot of houses are shifting back to minimalism, Roberto Cavalli (as well as Dsquared2 and Marni) are not giving in, and ngl we love to see it. That’s what runways are for, no?
Featured image Roberto Cavalli©
More on Culted
