In her fall 2011 show, Mary Katrantzou, as she said herself, “pushed the print to the limit.” If it’s not his most iconic collection, it’s close to the top, a tour de force from a designer still 20 years old in which Fabergé eggs, Ming vases and other objects became wearable works of art. Having settled into her new role as creative director of accessories at Bulgari – she was appointed in April last year – Katrantzou is now returning to former collections at her eponymous brand, and revisiting them with a more experienced eye. Have been.
“Being able to look back at something and refine it is at the forefront of what Bulgari is doing – reinventing its symbols again and again,” he said on a Zoom call. “As designers we are so conditioned to look back and feel ‘it happened’ and move towards the future; “I’m just starting to feel like I have my own library.”
The decade and a half between then and now has not only made Katrantzou an accomplished designer, but it has also groomed a new generation of women who are curious about their clothes. What stands out about his work today is its wearability. The rigid, sleek shapes of that fall 2011 collection made a major statement on the runway, but they were probably harder to pull off in real life. Here, in her new Resort lineup, lampshade skirts were replaced by smoother and more fluid lines, and more forgiving fabrics; Although some of them are still quite lavish, the cost-per-wear calculation is more favorable. (Those materials have also allowed her to expand her size range, which is a sign of progress that other designers should take cues from.)
As for the prints, Katrantzou claims they are even better than the first time. “I look at some of the prints I did and I think, wow, the craftsmanship was actually quite rushed, because it was always put on show. And there was so much more – so many ideas that I always Wanted to put forward – that idea sometimes took precedence over the level of refinement that could be achieved at the time. Even a ruby red velvet cocktail dress with a crystal trompe l’oeil “necklace” decorating the bodice. Was attractive.
