Initial reaction:
No meandering looks of loneliness or cheongsam dresses that require small-stepped elegance. Under neon strip-light lanterns, the Cavalli girl came striding out to a ramped up remix of Suicide’s “Ghost Rider” in Ming vase-like lines created by fluid ruffles, tailored animal prints and raised waistlines accentuated by ornate buckled belts. The designer’s vision of the East is less about costume referencing but more about an essence that is hybridised with the brand's best-selling party girl hits.
China girl:
Both Eva and Roberto Cavalli are already looking forward to The Costume Institute’s headline fashion exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass. Their 2005 Ming vase dress will be part of the exhibition at the Met Museum after all. This wasn’t a straightforward redux of that collection, nor was it about cliched Chinese costume tropes either. Gold embellishment climbing up plexiglass heeled boots and oversized “pagoda” buttons were about as literal as it got – as army green parkas and sleek tailoring were also thrown into the mix. It's the modern spirit of China that Cavalli is astutely looking to, and it's one that is increasingly globalised as the country’s super rich globetrot around the world.
In the mood for love:
Maggie Cheung’s turn in Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love unexpectedly turned up in the collection. The black and white check of her character’s quietly seductive cheongsam dresses were extracted and used as the central pattern, while the chintzy florals worn by Cheung were also mixed with embroidered white grids for a more abstract take on the famous looks from the Hong Kong classic.
, right, Vanessa Moody (Women) backstage at Roberto Cavalli AW15)
