Oniverse (formerly Gruppo Calzedonia) owns Antonio Marras these days. It generated €3.5 billion euros in revenue in 2024 and now operates 5,700 stores across the group’s mostly underwear-focused brand portfolio. At Marras’s show this afternoon that financial clout was evident both through the presence of Sharon Stone (who gave great wave as she rolled regally up), the scale of the police-manned road closures outside, and the surfeit of staff front of house.
This show also felt as if it contained as many looks as Oniverse has stores: the final tally, though, was 85. Yet that decadence in expression is not something new to Marras, who even when much more hand-to-mouth always luxuriated in his moments of fashion theater. Today, however, you felt that the show could have benefitted from cutting 20 looks and redirecting the energy saved into making sure the female models were fitted in correctly sized shoes: there were several stumbles and one fall that broke the show’s spell and were also (way more importantly) highly unfair to the numerous models who were required to tread their way around this enormous, rough-floored runway gripped by fear of imminent collapse.
Albeit lacking performance, this was a classically melodramatic Marras presentation whose looks were loosely based around a central meditation rooted in Sardinia. This one actually was a melodrama, which according to notes followed a complicated tale of two beautiful sisters who between them were betrothed to a fisherman and a rifleman respectively but were questioning their choices.
Marras’s stories change seasonally, but his essential mix remains consistent. Military, tailoring, decorative brocade and jacquard plus heaps of tulle and chiffon were blended into a signature swirl of romantic womenswear and menswear. Props included long stem roses crafted from charcoal fabric that mirrored the prints near the end of the show. Surprises included a stronger than usual emphasis on leather separates: kinky Carmen. There was a lovely selection of layered leaf prints whose parallel sections rustled together with movement. Naturally there was a great deal of hosiery.
The aforementioned leather accent was especially effective in a multi-pocketed semi technical menswear look that was also fashioned from treated nylon. Another striking menswear ensemble within the season’s especially strong offer featured a gray flannel suit with combat pocketed trousers worn around a ruffle bib striped shirt.
