Roberto Cavalli S/S 2005 Milan

I’ve always had a soft spot for Cavalli because he was really a master in his aesthetic and in a way, he broke all the rules. I think Dundas was still at the house at that time.
I hate taffetas because it’s a fabric that screams Old-fashion...But nobody can say that the blue dress is not fabulous.

I started to really appreciate Cavalli when I saw it worn by Carine and Emmanuelle. They managed to make it their own...

Everytime i watch Cavalli and D&G of that time, I cannot help but to think about the fact that at that time, it was considered as bad taste but it was also the epitome of a certain idea of Jet Set (much like Valentino). Cavalli is forever synonymous with the French Riviera: a light, glamorous and adventurous aesthetic supported by exquisite finishing, techniques and fabrics. Cavalli at that time was above Versace!
 
^^^ To say it this brand broke all the rules is a tad overly-generous revisionism LOL The image of Cavalli for that time-- for a lack of a better term was staunchly-- eurotrash. But, along with the likes of similar but superior labels to it, Dolce/Versace/DSquared2, they all produced supremely premium separates. (I remember going with a stylist to pull from Cavalli, and these beaded and paillette-embellished pieces were impressively, beautifully constructed and just straightup glamorous. And that they could be pulled together with other designers so effortlessly into something altogether very chic was a very strong positive of this brand.)

Unfortunately unlike Versace and Dolce’s campaigns that elevated the brands to such deserved heights, Cavalli’s campaigns were very typical of its time and never stood out.
 
^^^ To say it this brand broke all the rules is a tad overly-generous revisionism LOL The image of Cavalli for that time-- for a lack of a better term was staunchly-- eurotrash.
For me Cavalli broke the rule in terms of design and aesthetic. I mean the very sexy and agressive sexuality, the fact that his collections were a controlled mess of everything...etc.
He wasn’t a revolutionary designer but I think part of his huge success in the early 00´s was by how excessive everything he did was.

All the sexy brands still played with a certain idea of chicness at the time but not Cavalli. He eventually started to propose something tamer, even slightly conservative. I don’t think any of the euro trash brands were that adventurous in terms of design...
 
^^^ “Controlled mess” is a very accurate term. And I mean that in a most endearing way: It absolutely takes a certain discipline and restraint to create a gorgeous, excessive mess. I suppose the brand’s success owns a lot to Peter and all his dramatic ruffles and trailing voluminous hems. There’s defiantly so much mastered control in all that volume. Unfortunately the image is still consistently trashy LOL

Had Roberto followed Dolce/Versace with bringing in Meisel/Klein/Mario along with their creative teams, his brand would be in such a more elevated status. Especially during that period when those photographers and their teams were at their imperial rule of the industry. I'd imagine the likes of Lori/Carine/Edward would have done wonders beyond wonders for this brand's campaigns helmed by Meisel/Klein/Mario :sigh:
 
Absolutely nothing from 2020 will be remembered.
Oh you bet it will. Not by you or anyone from your generation, but kids that are 7 years old right now.. they will grow up, and will think absolutely nothing compares to what Demna and Virgil did, claim they transformed this time and that this was the golden era and that they only wish they could track down some of the sneakers originally produced then (now).. and it will make your skin boil because you do know that's not at all how it was but you will just come off as a bitter, 30-something 9-5er ~hating~ on fashion. Historical context really becomes nothing as years pass, but history does seem to come down to the amount of money investing in securing your spot in there.

I still think Roberto Cavalli's work around this time was gross, trash and vulgar.. it may look 'classic' or 'iconic' now because we've been at the bottom of the barrel for longer than I can remember but such adjectives just make me wonder about the relationship of fashion with people. Late 2004, when this was presented, was a pretty good year for fashion, Chalayan was still doing great work, CDG, Tao, Dries' anniversary collection a week or so later was the highlight of that season, but somehow.. ~Natasha looking QUEEN! what a great collection!~.
 
I just love that we all celebrating what he certainly deserves...

And for the person who asked if we're going to celebrate our current fashion in the future, my answer is no. Cavalli had his detractors back then because I think that -as a fashion brand- you'll always have detractors. You just can't please everyone. Cavalli back then was like Plein nowadays -this is just an example because we all know that Roberto is beyond superior-. There are people that are going to find them as the epitome of tackiness.
But the stuff with Cavalli was that he was his own cliché. He made all those stuff worthy. And for me -watching those collections today- it's more than superhot- vulgar- trashy attitude. The clothes were absolutely terrific. Beyond beautifully constructed. You can't deny that those pieces have a lot of respect of craftmanship.
I've never liked his work but thinking about the current state of fashion...Damn! I'd love to see a show like that one today. And that's what's interesting about fashion. I hate when I hear some snobs saying stuff like: "oh, I don't like cavalli. it's too vulgar! I'll take Jil Sander or Comme..." Fashion is about embracing everything and having fun.
 
Had Roberto followed Dolce/Versace with bringing in Meisel/Klein/Mario along with their creative teams, his brand would be in such a more elevated status. Especially during that period when those photographers and their teams were at their imperial rule of the industry. I'd imagine the likes of Lori/Carine/Edward would have done wonders beyond wonders for this brand's campaigns helmed by Meisel/Klein/Mario :sigh:

But Cavalli did worked with Meisel and Testino, Sims and stuff before leaving his own brand.
I just think that by making his brand classier (SS2012 comes to mind), he elevated himself but it became maybe too edgy for his core clientele. Cavalli was known to be very Body-conscious and It became more and more romantic (which was a return to his DNA from the 70’s) and suddenly, you had brands like Pucci and Balmain that took the sexy-torch and Versace was able to cash on their glorious past.
Everybody has a memory of the glorious past of Versace but I’m sure people did not know that Cavalli started in the 70’s.

I feel like the nostalgia of the 00´s, in the right hands can work for a brand like Cavalli today...But maybe less agressive in terms of sexiness but still adventurous in terms of styling.
But to master bad taste at this level, you need to have great skills. Only someone who worked with Lacroix can do that!
 
I preferred Versace over Cavalli at the time, but I must say seeing this collection - or any collection from pre-2012 for that matter - made me miss the variation fashion used to have. There were the sexy brands from Cavalli to Gucci, there were the lady brands like OdlR, there were the minimalists like Jil and Helmut, there were the Japanese, the Belgians, the directional Balenciagas and Pradas, the "young designers" of NYC... All in all, something for everyone and beyond! And the best part was that these different camps had absolutely nothing to do with each other, except the high quality and passion for whatever they were doing.

Now everyone is after the same thing and the same customer. Everyone does sneakers and hoodies, everyone has the same models, everyone communicates the same. Everyone looks at Margiela and Helmut for inspiration, everyone targets themselves to teenagers, everyone that used to be good is now sh*t. Everything looks the same.
 
But to master bad taste at this level, you need to have great skills. Only someone who worked with Lacroix can do that!
AMEN.

This is the key to Cavalli's success during his late 90's/early 00's heyday. You cannot fault him and his team for the mastery of craft and execution of the garments. Top notch. There's barely a single designer working today (I'd even venture to say not a single one) who plays with bad taste with any kind of finesse or savoir-faire.

And Phuel is right about Cavalli of this time, and in fact, it was a trait that many designers of that era were very good at...making amazing pieces....pieces that could be pulled apart, mixed with other designers, styled in many ways and incorporated into many different types of wardrobes. It's impressive now, looking back at this time seeing how strong the signature of each designer was when they presented their collections during fashion week and in their campaigns, but also how singular so many pieces were...in that the wearer could really make any of these items their "own." It's something that is very subtle, but you notice it's not something that you see any more on the market...everything looks the same on the catwalks, and then when someone wears a designer item, it wears them...very strange phenomenon.
 
I think the factor which is missing from fashion nowadays is just SEX! Everything´s has become so frigid and anorgasmic these days!

There´s no sex-appeal in logo hoodies, Gucci´s maths teachers, fake feminism Dior t-shirts; and Balenciaga Frankenstein shoulders...
 
Roberto Cavalli Spring 2005 Slip Dress Gown

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