Back at Cavalli, Dundas adopts a younger, more casual aesthetic
Spring/summer collection by Italian fashion house's new creative director is wilful - think ball skirts worn with sweatshirts, luxuriously embroidered, beaded denim jackets and lots of body-conscious leather and girly ruffles
It was all change for Roberto Cavalli in Milan, where Peter Dundas, recently of Emilio Pucci, made his debut for the fashion house with the launch of its spring/summer 2016 collections. Debut may be overstating it, though; Dundas had previously spent 10 years as head of design for Cavall, and had worked closely with Eva Cavalli, before leaving to revamp Pucci.
Roberto Cavalli sold 90 per cent of his lifestyle brand in April for an estimated €380 million (HK$3.3 billion) and Dundas was lured back to oversee all the lines. The spring/summer 2016 collection marked a change of direction for Cavalli, with a much younger, wilful and more casual aesthetic. This meant ball skirts worn with sweatshirts, luxuriously embroidered, beaded denim jackets and lots of body-conscious leather and girly ruffles. Cavalli's staple animal prints were reworked in a modern way as though pixelated, while camouflage (a trend that also appeared at Versace) featured images of lions and the mythological winged horse Pegasus.
There was a bit of an odd 1980s, disco-funk vibe going on: shiny lamé tops, washed denim and tie-dye taffeta - and less of the glamorous boho that we associate with Cavalli. But the trademark sensuality and exuberance is still in evidence.
