After a hiatus due to the pandemic, Lavinia Biagiotti returned to the Piccolo theater on Monday, which proved to be an emotional moment since it marked the 25th anniversary of her late mother Laura’s first show at the Milan landmark.
“I remember the phone call between my mother and [director] Giorgio Strehler, in November 1997, when they discussed a new concept of fashion show. Unfortunately, he died shortly after but we held our first show here in February 1998 on the set of Mozart’s [opera] ‘Così fan tutte,’” said the designer, flipping through the original look book and notes from that event.
This season, the show was held against the backdrop of the set for the play “Carbonio” by Pier Lorenzo Pisano, about a meeting with an alien. The starry universe was reflected in the glimmering pantsuits and shimmering evening dresses section of Biagiotti’s confident and cohesive collection.
She said that, surprisingly, researchers from Johns Hopkins University have discovered that the color of the universe is beige, which is the natural color of cashmere, key to Biagiotti’s collection. The fabric, braided in soft and roomy knits, at times woven with Lurex threads or spun to resemble fur in oversize coats, spoke of comfort and accessibility, targeting a diversified customer as the models on the runway attested, ranging from young girls to more mature women.
Biagiotti evolved the brand’s signature doll dress as a skirt worn over pants or as a taffeta bow to add to a skirt. The designer juxtaposed masculine and feminine elements, as in mannish Prince of Wales suits with strong shoulders worn over short skirts or see-through and delicate sparkling and sequined blouses. The trenches were all hits.
The show ended with a poignant ballet performed by friend of the brand Eleonora Abbagnato, director of Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, and Jacopo Tissi, guest principal dancer of La Scala theater, telegraphing the designer’s passion for the arts and the strength of the connection between her Roman roots and Milan.
Reports /TrainViral/
