The mood was soft and seductive at Etro SS16.
Grace and Favour
Everything fluttered by this season at Etro with a graceful softness: boho prints with a romantic energy were cut into pleats and ruffles for a feminine, folkish charm. There were long dresses aplenty with tied waists and necklines which bloomed into soft ruffles around the necklines – it was all unabashedly ornate and delicate.
Queen of Print
Etro, like their fellow Milan-showing cousins Missoni, have always been known for their lushly patterned fabrics. So, it should come as no surprise that this collection was replete with miniature florals and intricately detailed textile designs that perfectly complimented the flouncy skirting, tiered sleeves and generously fabricated pieces that flowed down to the ankle in a shimmering cascade. The usually militarily-influenced bomber jacket was softened up with the Etro treatment and was presented in the same fabrics as the dresses: a lovely take on what is, by this point, a sure fire staple.
Suggestively Buttoned-Up
The gypsy-Victoriana theme carried on by way of knee-high ankle boots with laced fronts going all the way to the top that were somewhere between old-school prim and sexed-up-equestrian. This tension – though tension is perhaps a misnomer given the grace of this collection – between proper 19th Century lady and saucy bohemian was key throughout, with sheer-bra-less-ness and open, raucous-ale-house necklines being played against loose-fits and long hems: petal-soft but never, ever, boring.
WORDS: Benji Walters