scognamania

No doubt about it, Neapolitan designer Francesco Scognamiglio is dead on. I remember the first time I experienced one of his ruffled masterpieces at hand. While interning at Elle, I had become enamored with a rack of clothing I was organizing comprised of heavily pleated pieces. The selections ended up being used for the ’08 Madonna cover story. My ongoing obsession with Amadeus-inspired looks are exemplified in Scognamiglio’s collections; his ruffled, steep collar button downs have been permanently atop my Hanukkah list since he started three seasons ago. His most recent collection (A/W ’09) could’ve been accompanied by The Little Mermaid soundtrack considering all its references to sea urchins. His high-collared tops, this time, look echinoid in their intense colors and protruding ruffs. His suiting has always been strong and this collection’s no exception. His first test in knitwear passed with flying colors – well, gold, really – the roped tight-knits look akin to Christopher Bailey’s. The ruffled blouses even have a labia shape to them, perhaps a nod to recent Miuccia (see Prada A/W ’08). The collection’s by far one of the top 2009 Ready-to-Wear collections. Take a peek at some highlights (especially the incredible chest plate) from the past two collections below.