RED VALENTINO AUTUMN/WINTER 2015-16 READY-TO-WEAR NEW YORK

What do Fellini’s La Strada and grunge à la Kurt and Courtney have in common? On the surface, not a whole heck of a lot, but that didn’t stop Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli from mashing them up for Fall. The designers, who cited the actress Giulietta Masina as the season’s muse, like to look to their Italian heritage for inspiration. Flannel shirts and slouchy, stripey cardigans are something new, and they gave this little-sister line an unexpected edge. Ditto the obviously faux fox-fur jackets and another in a showy leopard print they layered over mismatched blouses and miniskirts. The message might’ve been stronger had they stuck to those rock-and-roll vibes, but the pieces embellished with simple, almost naive thread embroideries of clowns and other circus characters had a surprising amount of charm. They also had the virtue of being utterly Chiuri and Piccioli’s own. More than 20 years after Seattle exploded, grunge seems to come around every couple of seasons. When was the last time the circus came to town?