Massimo Nicosia took knitwear to fresh and modern heights at Pringle SS16.
Modern Heritage
With such a rich heritage in knitwear, it would be a shame if Pringle of Scotland failed to channel some of this old-fashioned know-how into their contemporary collections. Fortunately for us, Massimo Nicosia is adept at using the brand’s past to inform their modern pieces. Traditional crochet was revamped this season with a range of breezy white dresses but, more inventively, with skirts that fell low in jagged frills and sleeves that looked almost serrated with their sawtooth edges – it was lovely play on juxtapositions: the soft cut into the sharp.
The Rough With The Smooth
The brand’s iconic argyle pattern was nicely riffed on through pieces made from a metallic-gold, diamond-repeat fabric, and a dress printed with a motif of weaving was a good way to keep the knitted DNA of the brand present even in smoother, smarter pieces. This sleekness was also observed in silky looking shirts that had flowing, super-long sleeves and were cut with heavily asymmetrical hems (matching full cut trousers lent a relaxed elegance to proceedings).
Knitty-Gritty
The focus on knitted texture reached its climax in the last two looks: black and white tops were made of wide-crochet that sprouted into tactile, three dimensional flowers at the hemline which, in turn, dissolved into frays of thread that fell down past the knees. These had just the slightest tinge of gothic-decay about them, and were probably the boldest pieces on show. Generally, it was plenty of quiet innovation from Nicosia – a perfect fit for a historical brand like Pringle.
WORDS: Benji Walters