Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini RTW Fall 2018
In a season when many designers are using Eighties fashion as a proxy for female empowerment, Lorenzo Serafini is something of an outlier. He’s into the shoulder pads, the sleek jumpsuits and the leather as evening wear – just don’t read it as a political statement.
Serafini has long been obsessed with the era, refining a sporty, romantic aesthetic for the Philosophy line. This season, he threw in some Western elements, summing up the theme as “an uptown girl going to Aspen” – cue fur coats, fringed jackets and double denim.
“It’s my Italian vision of the American dream. It’s the glamorization of comfort,” he said in front of a mood board filled with all-American beauties like Brooke Shields and Margaux Hemingway. Sarafini’s conception of fashion has little to do with politics: “I think that it’s really an instrument to give joy and lightness to a sad world.”
Edie Campbell opened the show in a sheepskin coat with tan fringes, a ribbed gray jogging suit and cropped boots adorned with feathers, metal medallions and chains. Designed with Emelie T?rling of Swedish jewelry brand Leontine, the booties were paired with everything from a polished plaid trouser suit to frothy cocktail dresses.
Serafini ramped up the shoulder volume on boyfriend sweaters, chubby furs and jumpsuits, which came in quilted gray jersey for day, and a sleek lacquered satin for after dark. He even resurrected the puffball skirt, in a pink taffeta version attached to a loose black velvet spaghetti-strapped bodice.
Less convincing were a trio of outfits in rose-printed velvet, including a ruched minidress that had the model yanking at the hem. It was the only discordant note in this upbeat, confident display.
Launch Gallery: Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini RTW Fall 2018
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