Gestures like a hug, a waltz around the ballroom or even the act of crocheting a humble doily were at the heart of Marco Rambaldi’s collection, which simultaneously celebrated, and subverted, Italian bourgeois life.
This collection was raw and full of patchwork, with bits of yarn dangling from crocheted skirts and tops and offbeat pairings such as hoodies with slogans like “Wish You Were Queer” and “I (heart) You” slipped over silk skirts and printed slip dresses.
It was also full of emotion.
As part of the soundtrack, Rambaldi used an interview with the singer Ornella Vanoni, who died last November, talking about the power of a hug to dissolve tension and to break down boundaries between people. Backstage, the designer talked about the intimacy of two people waltzing, and how radical the dance was considered when it became popular in the late 18th century.
Rambaldi translated that sense of intimacy into the clothing, pinning part of a bright red cardigan to the front of a pink round-neck sweater, a move that was meant to suggest a hug.
He also sent out a lineup of soft, knitted track suits in pastels, some with jaunty intarsia handkerchiefs around the neck. Tights and sweaters with sweetheart patterns resembled thermal underwear, perfect for the months when summer turns to fall.
“Bourgeois” ladies and gentlemen also walked the inside-outside runway at Piazza Tomasi di Lampedusa wearing cropped, collarless jackets. The designer paired them with crocheted skirts, some of which looked like wrapped tablecloths, others like sarongs, and most with bits of yarn dangling from the edges.
Other looks were more polished. A gray wool miniskirt with sharp pleats and an oversize sweater had a luxe school uniform vibe, while the sparkling two-tone crochet gown at the end was beautiful. Rambaldi said it was made by hand over three weeks.
Rambaldi certainly makes some nice clothing, but there was a lot going on here. He’d do well do sharpen the edges, and tighten and refine the silhouettes with fewer layers so that his heartfelt narratives emerge more clearly, and tempt his customers to spend.
