As temperatures are intermittently
soaring this spring-summer, so is fashion's fling with the
dissolute 1970s - an era that has kept a strong creative pull on
both those who experienced it firsthand and their offspring.
A number of top Italian brands have focused on the languid
sensuality that was very much part of an aesthetic flowering at
the start of the 1970s, before things got groovier in the second
half of the decade.
Culottes, flared pants and A-line skirts with high waists,
belted trench coats, bold buttons and even bolder patterned
dresses this season embrace the libertine and inventive aura of
that time period.
Gucci's patch-worked fur vests, trench coats and belted
denim dresses - complete with statement gold-dome buttons - take
the wearer straight back to the early 1970s.
And collections by Max Mara and Emilio Pucci, including
bold tie-dyes and kaftans, also seen at Roberto Cavalli, follow
suit.
Meanwhile culottes brushed up from 1970s models, a niche
trend up until this spring, can be spotted in various guises
across a number of collections, including a denim version at
Gucci and a party-ready model at Giorgio Armani.
Indeed culottes are a go-to piece for designers such as
Stella McCartney, Valentino, N21 and Derek Lam with a
predominantly voluminous and ankle-grazing silhouette.
So are coats and jackets, including Gucci's suede belted
duster coats, Prada's top-stitched denim models and the 1970s
safari jackets and trench coats seen at Bottega Veneta,
Ferragamo, Max Mara and Missoni.
Meanwhile, nostalgia for this bygone era has brought
forward a key trouser shape whose popularity will outlive the
summer - flares - as evidenced by fashion houses including Gucci
and Saint Laurent.
Elsewhere, Chloe has produced a 1970s aesthetic mash-up in
a bohemia-infused collection including cheesecloth dresses and
breezy kaftans.
Givenchy and Saint Laurent have explored the rock side of
the era while Tom Ford, who in the 1990s gave new life to the
house of Gucci with a 1970s inspiration, pays homage to Bianca
Jagger.
Overall, the resurrection of the decade of spunk has
momentarily sent the 'normcore' bland anti-style fad packing.
And the youthfulness and dazzling sexiness of the 1970s
have brought sparkle back to fashion - literally.
Glitzy brocades at Prada, along with Swarovski crystals at
Dolce & Gabbana and Versace have pulled day-time glamour back on
trend.
So have accessories, more or less openly evoking the 1970s.
In the footwear department, trademark styles include
Prada's clogs and Fausto Puglisi's beaded pool sliders.
Valentino has been one of many top fashion houses to
revamp gladiator sandals and espadrilles, whose popularity
quotient is at an all-time high this summer.
On the purse front, the bucket bag has been resurrected
across the board - from the increasingly hip Mansur Gavriel
label to Saint Laurent.
The boho chic mood has also seen a resurgence of tassels
and fringes lavishly used at Pucci, Etro and Salvatore
Ferragamo.
Along with the relaxed shapes of bucket bags, satchels and
messenger bags, box bags are also a major trend, bringing more
grown-up glamor.
The boxy shape of Louis Vuitton's Petite Malle purse is
indeed stealing the hearts of fashionistas just as Cèline's
resurrection of a 1970s in-house icon, the classic Box bag.
The ladylike structured bag also makes a statement at Prada
and Miu Miu
Box purses have Baroque accents at Dolce & Gabbana while
Chanel has showcased tiny versions of the model.
And Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld also designed an anti-war flap
bag with the slogan "make fashion not war" in the spirit of the
fight-for-your-right call of a collection presented to the
rallying cry of "Feminist But Feminine".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
