Simply Marbleous
Review of Roberto Cavalli Fall 2024 Fashion Show
By Mark Wittmer
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
Roberto Cavalli may be best known for a liberal use of animal print, but for the Fall 2024 collection the brand explored its heritage and identity through another print reference – Italian marble. Coupled with craft techniques and unique fabric treatments, the approach made for a richly textural collection that was all about the power of material.
The new prints developed by creative director Fausto Puglisi and his team lent a classical, bold, and monolithic quality to a range of pieces across the whole collection, from to tailored separates to dresses and outerwear pieces like puffers and trench coats. Rather than limiting himself to one material, however, Puglisi applied the marble print to a broad range of treated fabrics, from crinkled and pleated silks or distressed velvet to knits, denim, and even a seemingly latex-like fabric, with each one revealing a new dimension of character. Other prints made clever reference to the architectural marble tiling found on ancient Roman ruins, while others injected colors drawn from various regional varieties – or imagined their own with tiger-stripe colors.
Of course animal prints, baroque florals, and lacy trims were present in a lesser degree as well, but they felt right at home alongside the new marble print – an effect that almost has us wondering whether this wasn’t some archival motif freshly resurrected. Right at home among Cavalli’s vision of bold Italian luxury, the consistent and expansive use of the motif seemed to confirm marble as a new house signature.
THE BUZZWORDS
Italian marble. Textural. Bold.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #4
A textural feast for the senses, this combination of a velvet and mesh dress that echoes of crumbling marble ruins with a billowing pleated coat epitomizes the collection’s bold spirit of marble-ous material interplay.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
Not only did Roberto Cavalli land on a wisely chosen motif for the season that tapped into a history of Italian elegance and power, but they saw it through with great imagination, exploring a plethora of exciting textural avenues. While the over-the-top aesthetic certainly isn’t for everyone, there’s no denying that the material richness on display here is a feast for any fashion lover’s senses.
