Marni: The random walk hypothesis is elegant

One was not remotely sure where exactly a model would appear next in Francesco Risso's excellent final show for Marni on Tuesday afternoon, but when she did, one could only marvel.

Although almost everything was made of cotton, with a touch of suede, the combination of shapes kept the atmosphere fresh, unexpected and completely new.

No Milanese designer plays with shapes and silhouettes as much as Risso, who this season has reviewed a whole series of costumes (Renaissance, Venetian and Bourbon), from the most modern and cool to the culottes-less, but still, somehow, resolutely modern.

Francesco even controlled the prints, using essentially the same exaggerated red, white and black image of a rose in full bloom in nearly a dozen looks, though again varying the sizes and contrast of the flowers depending on the look.

“I'm like the Beatles. I like a bit of repetition,” Risso laughed.

But above all, this was a beautiful collection. The modern, sinfully red, slightly cartoonish suits made from masculine blazers and 1920s skirts pleated below the knee. Or the dimpled courtesan dresses that the cast clearly loved to wear. Each girl took a different random route around the set.

The designer softened many looks with photo cutouts of Tuscan nobles, gleaned over the years from scrapbooks, and took the look to a very new place with extraordinary makeup (giant arched eyebrows) and stylishly slicked-back hair. Hints of John Galliano, but always on Risso's terms.

Furthermore, their millenarianism was something else: Venetian ducal hats, cockades from the French Revolution or bicorn hats worthy of Nelson. All of them with flowers, shields or fabric heather, and also all of cotton.

Risso built a Covid-style stage, with every audience member separated by 1.5 metres. Every chair was nailed to the floor. All eyes were on the centrepiece, where three pianists led by Dev Hynes, first with a staccato entrance and then with a dramatic serialised sonata.

All in all, a truly grand dramatic production, so much so that Francesco cried as he took his bow.

“I am like Leon, a dangerous man who carefully guards a small child, and that child is the Marni brand, which I carefully protect with all my love,” concluded Risso, referring to the film 'Leon', where Jean Reno massacres dozens of New York police officers in endless shootouts to protect a small child, whom he barely knows.