Nicola Brognano trusts his instincts: “This season I’m thinking about punk rock, something strong, sexy, provocative,” he said on a pre-fall date. When asked, do you follow an inspiration, think of a muse? Why do you think punk rock is important now? He replied, “I don’t know. That’s how I feel at the moment. That’s it.”
So far, Brognano’s instincts haven’t let him down. He made Blumarine famous, created a certain amount of hype and some blockbusters (starting with Cargo, Butterfly Top and Oversized Flares). He wants to keep the momentum going.
His new project revived from the Y2K era, he was one of the first champions, was below the knee cargo, the infamous bloomers we all happily shoved onto our shirts behind the cupboard. But no, they’re back, and Brognano is in charge of saving them from oblivion. As Brognano pointed out, a délavé denim wash “with a dirty finish” was suggested, and they were the star of the show, going with everything from cropped puffer jackets that exposed mid-rises to sheer ribbed tops with ruched details.
As an alternative that is sure to be a hit, huge flared trousers are at it again, as are flowing viscose mermaid dresses, this time in super-short round piuminos, or with Wrapped in a knitted coat that mimics the effect of fur. Pleats replaced embellishments as trim, inserted into the seams of denim fitted shirts or reversed denim trousers, and stretched into trailing ribbons that dangled from the hem or over a voluminous jersey draped jumper.
The colors remain moody, a far cry from the candy pink and baby blue macaron shyness of the brand’s early days. Blumarine girls are constantly mutating chrysalis. “She’s sexier, she’s dirtier, her appearance is almost wrong,” Brognano said. “A little grungier, more mature, more real.” In her bloomers, the Blumarine girl/woman is ready for punk rock.
