Ask Milan Vukmirovic why the seventies are back, and he ll be quick to tell you: "It s because people are going out again—a lot." It was fitting, then, that after a foray into the decade s more ladylike elements last season, the Trussardi 1911 creative director took a walk on the louche side with his on-message Spring collection. Think David Bailey s famous pictures of Marie Helvin in Tahiti, with a bit of a military vibe thrown in; "urban jungle" is what the designer called it.
Yes, that meant there was a lot of leopard, and yes, that s a print that s been everywhere lately, but Vukmirovic made it new by doing it in white and black, sometimes pairing it with a palm-frond print. Still, the latter of the two motifs looked fresher, especially on pieces like a nightclub-ready one-shoulder cocktail number (worn with a matching flower at the neck), an easy jumpsuit, and a floor-length tank dress with a fitted suede macramé bodice. That last one was just begging for a beach party on a hot summer night.
Three seasons in, the bags and shoes are the best performers at this classic Italian brand s new 1911 line. Here, Vukmirovic lavished plenty of attention and no little amount of the house s expertise on clutches stitched in swirling patterns from thin leather strips and on wedge heels with lacing up the back. Leather also features on the arms of the company s just-launched sunglasses.
