The rest of Milan may be trying to turn back time, but Gabriele Colangelo has his eye on the future. Not that we would expect much different from the LVMH Prize finalist. Colangelo has been focused on fabric innovation since he launched his business six years ago—with a furrier for a father, you could say it’s in his blood. Spring found him continuing his explorations, only this time he was preoccupied with lightness and deconstruction.
Maybe unconstructed is a better word. The designer’s clothes are rigorous and precise; no dangling threads or frayed hems and seams here. In that sense, Colangelo owes more to Margiela and Philo than he does the Japanese. The back of a coatdress or a long sleeveless vest was cut away between shoulder and martingale, exposing something lacy underneath. A T-shirt was lasered with tiny slits so it looked like netting stretched over the torso, and side seams on many pieces were split to create a sense of movement. There was a lot of skin, but the effect was clean and sporty rather than indiscreet.
Some of Colangelo’s experiments didn’t hit the mark: Pinstripe pants with the netting effect looked tricky, and the blue ponyskin of a miniskirt and a coat was stiff. But other pieces really impressed. A silk dress woven with fine copper wire had a molten, metallic texture. The lace, meanwhile, was actually nylon thread embroidery coated with polyurethane. It had a nice cling. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the simplicity of a light-blue cotton poplin shirtdress was appealing. Colangelo lived up to the new attention he’s been receiving since the LVMH competition.