Review by Lucas Pantoja
As Marco Rambaldi does in typical Marco Rambaldi fashion, he pulls from history (primarily Italian folk) and reinterprets it with a contemporary and personal image. In his latest collection, Rambaldi presents a woman with a bit more sartorial and folk garments in her wardrobe, but don’t worry she comes with all the grunge and edge that stays in line with the designer’s vision. Not to mention trying to define the Marco Rambaldi woman as one “type” doesn’t prove very feasible, and in this collection especially.
The inspiration for the collection started from the 1974’ photographic volume “Ruoli” or in english “Roles” by Marcella Campagnano; a radical pro-feminist series of photographs depicting women of the seventies disguising themselves in different societal roles. Having started from there we see Rambaldi’s narration of the concept as each outfit on the runway is to represent a different female archetype: the manager, lover, activist, prostitute, transsexual, student, and heroine.
As for the actual clothing which hit the runway, we certainly find 70’s elements in the psychedelic tie dyes, fluorescent leopard prints, loose hanging knits, folkish patchworks, and “Superfly” fur coats. It’s a bit Margot Tenenbaum mixed with Joni Mitchell and a hint of Kurt Cobain grunge thrown on top.
The silhouette was rather masculine and fit loosely but not oversized like we’ve seen in many other Fall/Winter collections from this season. Lest we forget the color palette, which while we find many hints of red, pink, purple, and tobacco is in some ways unspecific and can be defined more so by the few colors Rambaldi chose not to work with.
While the Marco Rambaldi woman may be rather difficult to pinpoint, it’s safe to say she’s a rule breaker who loves to flex the vintage and eclectic. She doesn’t follow trends; nor would she be caught dead in an Urban Outfitters or shopping for simplistic overly perfect garments. If she’s not dressed in head to toe Marco Rambaldi, then she’s digging through her grandmas closet for something wacky or looking at old album covers to find inspiration.
The Fashion Plate Magazine 