Another Season, Another Destination
Review of Casablanca Fall 2024 Fashion Show
By Mark Wittmer
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
The biggest luxury houses may be announcing the locations for their Resort shows this summer, but for Casablanca, it seems, every collection is a resort collection. This time around, creative director Charaf Tajer took his new season, new regional gimmick approach to the ruins of Ancient Rome, infusing his Mediterranean meets après-sport approach with references to the Eternal City’s art and architecture.
For the most part, however, the collection was pretty much what we have come to expect from Casablanca, with a kind of Coco Chanel country club vibe whose printed silks featured Ionian columns and busts of Apollo. The collection’s title, “Venus as a Boy” – which of course is a reference to the iconic and amazing Björk song of the same name – didn’t really really materialize in the sense of romance or gender ambiguity that it might have made us hope for, with instead the only connection being that Venus is part of the Roman pantheon.
The best looks were towards the beginning and end of the collection, when Tajer was less concerned with repeating his best-selling pieces and actually did some real consideration for his source material. Tailoring and tennis dresses were tweaked to recall togas; strappy sandals echoed those worn by gladiators; even some fish-scale armor made an appearance in the closing look.
THE BUZZWORDS
Mediterranean. Resort. Laid-back luxury.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #45
This sculptural wrap coat felt like the fullest and most imaginatively constructive synthesis of Casablanca’s vacation sophistication and the collection’s ancient Roman aspirations.
THE DIRECTION
The models entered the runway from a tunnel that was surrounded by dancers sitting on risers who moved only their arms creating fluid, geometrical patterns of motion. It was visually impressive, but, as with the collection in general, it was a well-executed version of something we’ve seen many times before.
THE WRAP UP
Casablanca is incredibly consistent, and there are definitely strong pieces in this collection that will sell – but at this point, that consistency is almost starting to work against it. When every season has a different regional or cultural theme, yet still pretty much always looks the same, it makes these themes feel shallow and unimaginative (not to mention, in some cases, vaguely colonialist), and it makes it feel like the brand is unable to thoughtfully develop its own ideas.
