In our constantly shifting cultural landscape where new crises and distractions simultaneously emerge each day, fewer and fewer experiences remain universal; even less, sacred. One that endures, however, and continues to inspire is the act of watching the sun – be it rising or setting, and the effect its light creates on our surroundings. These reliable celestial movements inspired Francesco Risso, creative director of Marni, who looked to the sun’s rays and how they lit up the Italian countryside at various points of the day for his SS23 collection, which he presented in New York City on Saturday night.
The show was set in Dumbo, Brooklyn, under the Manhattan Bridge, where, admittedly, there’s absolutely zero chance of catching the kind of sunset that so magnificently lights up the city skyline, but this proved insignificant for the Milanese house. As attendees from Doja Cat to Madonna gathered beneath the cavernous arches of the bridge for the show’s 9pm start time, the sun had already set, but Francesco created his own interpretation of the sun’s rays that lit up the cobblestone runway, set to an original composition by Dev Hynes and performed by the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, with the creative director at the cello – all under a full moon, no less.
There’s an inherent joy and eccentricity to every Marni collection, but this season the house’s vibrant colours took on an added dimension, incorporating the swirls and flourishes of artist Flaminia Veronesi’s paintings. Bright orange and crimson silk skirts were emblazoned with orbs in complementary warm hues, and strategically placed cutouts created a bevvy of shapes on the body, calling to mind the literal sun, the surreal and the artwork of 70s sci-fi films. In one of the first few looks, the effervescent ends of a trailing skirt looped back up and around to slip over the arms like opera gloves; a multitude of fiery suns appeared across the models’ midsection. “The sunset is not a phenomenon of the sun – taking place on the horizon,” the show notes read, “but a phenomenon of the body – setting the sky on fire.”
Elsewhere on the runway, Francesco joyously layered luxe, silk suit jackets and trousers with sheer tank tops – all within the same colour gradient. Photographer Tyler Mitchell wore one such suit, albeit in lavender velvet, over an open knit crop top. Oversized jackets with equally oversized lapels were done in wool and supple Italian leather, as were seamed maxi dresses spliced up the front, with one being worn by Lara Stone. A standout moment occurred when Marni’s psychedelic concentric circle graphics were translated to the house’s signature knits, only to reveal a sexy spherical cutout directly in the centre of the chest for the modern-day sun chaser – catching that dusky orange light leaving the club at dawn.
“I always like to think about Marni as a place where you can find your own home, even amid the eclecticism. We always aim to involve people in a dialogue when we’re developing ideas,” Francesco told us earlier this year. “The way that we make collections also passes through a lot of study – not just of the main theme we’re exploring, but also of why things happen in our society, or why they happened years ago. It’s a beautiful learning process for us, and it enables us to make clothes that can bring us together.”
The show marked the start of Marni’s “world tour”, in which the Italian house’s vision will travel to a select few cities before returning to Milan for its 30th anniversary in 2024. If you’re wondering why New York, why hit the road, it’s really fairly simple: “because you can feel when you’re moving,” the show notes conclude. Just don’t forget to look up every now and again.
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All images via Spotlight