There are so many ways to approach sexiness, and for Pre-Fall 2019, creative director Paul Surridge took some of the less obvious routes for Roberto Cavalli Pre-Fall 2019. During his heyday, the brand’s eponymous founder celebrated femininity with sexual exuberance, unabashed glamour, and a slight tinge of vulgarity. But in today’s environment of modern feminism and social activism, this sort of ostentatious frivolity has become less appealing. In response, Surridge took on the label’s own brand of sex appeal with a contemporary and subtler edge. He presented the line in the brand’s new New York store on Front Street, the area in which he also shot the collection. This season. there was a lot of tailoring involved, with boxy outerwear and slim-fit pieces. Instead of a pantsuit (although it still made an appearance in a slick pinstriped variation), Surridge offered short-suits, allowing the wearer to still expose skin but in a not-so-obvious kind of way. The label’s signature animal prints were also on full display here, appearing on a string of separates that were more of the streetwear aesthetic rather than just nightclub attire. With a whole lot of daywear into the mix, it seems that the Cavalli woman, under Paul Surridge’s supervision, has finally matured a bit!
Photo: Courtesy of Roberto Cavalli
