It’s easy to say vintage. Fashion for fall/winter 2017-18 looks to the past, not as a generic source of inspiration but as a treasure trove of ideas to play with, but of course with the right touch of irony and fun.
From the mountains to the grand sporting enterprises of bygone days, from a taste for historic impeccable tailoring to Japanese Shibori dyeing techniques with patterns and lines recalling the paintings of Barnett Newman.
So here’s Etro, with a collection that evokes the evergreen, classic style in a celebration of the legendary ‘70s and ‘80s. For both men and women, figures are soft and lengthened, but with highly sartorial elements.
For women, prints and fabrics mix on patchwork jacquard down-filled puffers and parkas in tweed. The jackets have kimono sleeves embellished by stripes and tape profiling, and the pyjama suits are quilted. A profusion of colour creates fantastic patterns like psychedelic paisley and tie fabric designs, while details like lotus flowers, dragons and geometric patterns turn into patches that make the items they decorate even more unique.
On the other hand, the men’s line distinguishes itself through free experimentation and tactile perceptivity. Extensive print elaborations add consistency to soft velvet items, like in the hoodies decorated with chevron motifs. The same process gives the coat and pants suit a roughness that almost eclipses the classic luxury of the fabric. The long, sumptuous woollen coats vaunt a leafy pattern obtained using an innovative dye derived from clay that gives life to a simple, naïf style.
The accessories are informal and precious at the same time. For women, shoulder bags in leather and jacquard fabric have tapes that accompany the fluid movements of the figure, and combined with the tape decorated sheepskin lined flat or suede and felt heeled boots contribute to the cocooning effect of the whole look.
For men the high-tech backpacks and trekking boots look like they’re made using other elements of the collection, like for example the matelassé effect quilting on the uppers. Typical tie fabrics, generally more densely woven for better water resistance, are used for the panels of the backpacks, embellished by little bells that dingle to mark each step of the ascent to the summit. Sleeping bags worn like cloaks give just the right warmth for enjoying the star-studded sky atop a mountain peak. But the real pride of the collection are the paisley-patterned skis and snowboards.
The magic of the Etro brand stems from dreams of travel and the distant worlds we find in the collections designed by Veronica and Kean Etro. An atelier founded on a solid family history and the perception of unmistakable values.
