From 'normcore' to 1960s, fall fashion offers options

With bold silhouettes, bright patterns and plain knits

(ANSA) - Rome, September 1 - It takes a firm hand to work the wealth of inspirations defining this fall and winter's fashion styles. The new hype around 'normcore', an anti-style defined by timeless clothes and accessories, found designers warming up to chunky knits, oversized coats and fleecy shearling combined with fastidiously simple accessories such as white sneakers. Yet resonant ideas in this upcoming season of fevered extremes will include bold optic prints and a fling with the 1960s. Overall, architecture is a compelling theme for fall's silhouettes with a number of designers experimenting with shape and structure to craft clothes defined alternatively by rigour or romance.

Architecture makes a bold statement at Marni, where oversized silhouettes compound the strength of clothes that represent an edit of the label's essence - avant-garde sportiness, a daring use of different fabrics, and couture-like attention to cut and craftsmanship. Bold volumes reconcile Marni's two souls - art gallery-worthy sophistication and all things tribal - with striking pieces including skirts in military felt mixed with bodices in natural canvas and cocoon-shaped tops worn over straight or flounced skirts with statement accessories such as ethnic necklaces.

Outfits are complemented by outstanding zips, another quintessentially Marni element. The cerebral quality of more futuristic looks destined to hit the street as soon as temperatures cool will be complemented this upcoming season by more romantic, at times sylvan, themes. Dolce & Gabbana's collection features swans, squirrels and owls, decorating tunics and jackets. Alberta Ferretti's trademark femininity is inspired this season by the forest outside her country house with pieces garnished with feathers - a key part of her collection - handcrafted in Florence.

Outstanding numbers include dresses in alpaca decorated with homespun fringes and loden coats with flashes of sequins. The ethereal mood takes a step further at Valentino where Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli worked butterflies, roses and birds over sheer eveningwear which shines with couture-like quality. The creative duo have also worked their magic on the 1960s Italian Pop art theme that shaped the bold patterns and silhouettes of daywear. Bold polka dots and optic flowers inspired by the work of artists including Giosetta Fioroni and Carol Rama are a stark departure from the operatic old-style romance of previous collections.

However, the 1960s flavour shaping the clothes is pure Valentino with the duo's outstanding shirt-collar dresses, capes and embroidered tulle gowns a key part of the collection. And along with bold sartorial silhouettes, striking prints and a touch of romance, no season like this fall season has embraced the concept of standing out by blending in with comfy knits, timeless suits and understated accessories. 'Normcore' hit a haute note at Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo and Max Mara, as these Italian fashion houses translated the hype around this new fashion frontier into impeccably cut, luxuriously simple basics in neutral shades.

In accessory land, the new mania for sneakers, mixed and matched to suit any occasion, is the tip of the 'normcore' iceberg operated by top fashion houses in Italy and across the Alps, from Valentino to Céline, openly bowing to all-time classics seen on the street for decades. Fantasy-driven flings will be complemented by staples - from tailored coats and jackets to warm knits and the increasingly popular slip on shoes. And these deftly cut and detail-free pieces will be wardrobe basics for seasons to come.