Review of Missoni Fall 2022 Fashion Show
Form and function– a saving grace
By Lizzy Bowring
Angela Missoni, daughter of the Missoni founders Ottavio and Rosita Missoni and the brand creative director for the last twenty-four years, stepped down from that designer role in mid-May 2021, leaving her design director, Alberto Caliri, to take the reigns. The S/S 22 season lacked the cohesive ingredients required by a brand for success, and it was a collection stripped of the brand’s status quo DNA.
The pared-back approach discarded much of the fluidity of the brand’s silhouette. Still, as we see today, every brand is re-evaluating its approach and ensuing connection to its audience.
That said, I was looking forward to a more cohesive outing today, but I was reminded of the stark reality of S/S 22. Where is the brand heading?
It feels like one foot would like to stay within the brand DNA, but the other foot appears to wander into another lane.
Bare skin can be highly sensual and maybe on-trend, but the silhouettes, particularly those with the bright cover-ups, were more in line with the art of reduction than the art of building a cohesive look.
Let’s not be too unkind;
Some delightful pieces filtered throughout. Look 1, the hero image with (if you can get beyond the swimwear) the optical patterning, certainly paid homage to the Missoni brand, and the collection continued to be peppered with some beautiful coats.
The following silhouette, a banker stripe blazer, came out of nowhere with no context at all (other than that tailoring is enjoying a renewed focus) juxtaposed over a biker jacket and another skin-bearing piece. Cutouts have been on trend for the last few seasons, as has the comfort factor seen in the loose-fitting sweat pants – a carefree addition to this new Missoni repertoire, but not really a huge step forward trend-wise.
The workwear boilersuits, too, would have been better placed elsewhere, but for the fact that their inclusion underscores another must-have item for 2022.
Noted that layering was kept to a minimum, as the emphasis was placed more on the streetwear-inspired items; obviously, to reach out to a broader range of consumers.
Here, items such as cropped jackets, denim and fluid easy to wear trousers were quite functional and will certainly find their way into a youthful wardrobe.
Elsewhere, quite lovely pieces were an ode to Missoni; the formfitting columnar dresses in sparkling knits exuded sensuality and were a saving grace along with the coats.
But they somehow seemed to get lost in the translation.
It s all very well to reach out to a more youthful generation, however, if a brand is planning on this step forward, it might do well to execute the offering with cohesive conviction and bring both feet together.