Antonio Marras AW14

Initial reaction:

Memories of a family fabric shop blur in dégradé coats, mashed-up prints and the clash of cult leather with classic tailoring. The invite was a cardboard folder filled with the fine tissue layers of a suit pattern.

References:

Marras was said to be inspired by his father’s fabric store in the centre of Italian town, Alghero, and the fabric combinations he witnessed there. His father made an appearance in graphic portrait prints on shirts and sweaters, sometimes clear in a black sketch outline, other times blurred by abstract dots, or check collage.

Stand out looks:

A dégradé coat which merged wool into check into pure white fur, was a reimagining of the fabrics found in the family fabric shop. Cardigans appeared dip dyed in check, while youthful undertones came through in modernist, murky colour blocking, geeky cardigans and drawstring waist trousers.

How they wore it:

With modish white shoes, trousers cut high to show off patterned socks. Leather bikers and waistcoats were worn over tweed suits, while red and yellow envelope clutches picked out the bright patterns in Nordic knits.

Atmosphere:

We were greeted by the sound of men and boys working away at old sewing machines, taken from the concept concert ‘13_600_HZ_concert for sewing machines’, by Sara Conforti. A social commentary on workers, the individual and the collective, it continued in the background as electronica and heavy bass played through the show.