Some designers start with a sketch; others turn to Tumblr or old movies. Marco de Vincenzo begins with fabrics. His materials can be quite humble in origin, but that s not how they wind up after he s got his hands on them. De Vincenzo picked up this tendency during his years behind the scenes at Fendi—surface details are obsessed over at that Roman house—but the designer has a sensibility that s his own, and he s becoming more confident in expressing it. He adores bright colors in bold combinations, and he loves shine. "They re rich clothes, because that s what s working for me," he said. "They re looking for something special from me."
For Spring, de Vincenzo s experiments did yield some special clothes: The silk-fringe checked pieces that swished out at the beginning of the show were fine-tuned, but also fun. The damier-check woven snakeskin coat in gray with multicolor horizontal strips was a wonder. Complicated to make, yet remarkably streamlined in the results. The same can t be said for all of the pieces. The silk-fringe flower appliqués that accented such things as the neckline of a shirtdress and the front of an A-line skirt were a bit overbearing. Those looks would ve been finer without them. But for the most part, de Vincenzo s decorative instincts were good. Two new developments to note: Skinny black jeans that reproduced the check pattern from the beginning of the show demonstrated a burgeoning ease with comfortable, everyday clothes. At the other end of the spectrum: a Sangallo lace dress dyed in diagonal ombré stripes and trimmed at the hem with black fringe. We won t be surprised when we see it on the red carpet.
