Today s MSGM show was likely the first time in fashion history that a Jonathan Franzen book turned up on a backstage mood board. Massimo Giorgetti is a big fan of Franzen s 2010 novel, Freedom. If you ve read it you ll remember that songbirds—warblers, specifically—are central figures in the plot. Winged creatures figured prominently in MSGM s new Spring collection, as well. A woodpecker print perched itself on the back of a tie-front cotton duchesse coat, beaded finches were embroidered on dresses, and bunches of hummingbirds colonized floor-length slips in the form of repeating prints. Quite a big flock.
Still, this collection represented another step away from the more-is-more aesthetic that prompted Giorgetti s swift rise in the first place. True, there were pieces here that will have street style photographers angling for a good shot—the black tulle hoodie that spelled out FREEDOM in neon green block letters, for starters. But in another first, there was basic black on the MSGM runway—not a lot, but enough to notice. A pair of pleat-front black trousers nicely set off a tie-back top in the finch print. At the end of a packed week in Milan, we re all living for a little surprise. Giorgetti s show this season qualified.
