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This season’s collection subtly distances itself from the refined, dark poetry that we’ve come to expect chez Ann by leaning a little further into its late Italian influences. As creative director Stefano Gallici seeks to embellish the brand with his more contemporarily-influenced personal history and and to then encapsulate the transitory essence between these inspirations, feelings, and seasons; the pieces consequently favor a more romantic, bohemian opulence over the nuanced deconstruction of avant-garde that we see in the brand’s more emblematic designs.
Gallici’s iteration integrates a more ornate, on-the-nose technique by utilizing heavy baroque motifs, excess layering of silk, lace, ribbon and chiffon, intertwined with commercialized styles. Thrashed t-shirts and destroyed denim are spliced between Victorian lace collars and billowing silk. The finesse is there; it’s beautiful; but doesn’t quite escape the pit of contemporary referential overload. Yet, the collection does undoubtedly capture Ann’s signature iconoclasm in regards to subverting the traditional threads of antiquated beauty.
It’s kind of giving Interview with a Vampire at Coachella, really reinforcing the indie-sleaze renaissance- which I do love.
On the way out, I accidentally stepped on someone’s long ribbon train, heard a rip, kept walking. Yikes. Everyone takes from the mounds of lilies that carve out Gallici’s runway. Their flower budget probably rivals my rent.
xx
Rianna
