They bid farewell to the late great Roberto Cavalli on the catwalk in Milan on Wednesday night, five months after Tuscany’s most famous designer died, with an affecting display by his successor Fausto Puglisi.
The concert was the first that Cavalli had held since its founder died in April. It culminated with a Magnificent Seven of supermodels taking a joint bow with Puglisi, who then invited widow Eva Cavalli, who was seated near Naomi Campbell, to join him on the runway for an applause.
Catwalk stars Natasha Poly, Isabeli Fontana, and Eva Herzigova wore vintage Roberto designs such as sweeping zebra print chiffon skirts and cock feather illusions in expressionist colors.
“That was an extremely emotional time. And I greatly appreciated Fausto’s generosity. Roberto’s impact on fashion will be remembered for generations. But I’d prefer people to remember Roberto as a talented and sensitive man. A decent parent, a nice husband—maybe not always, but we all have our flaws.” But he was a very generous and good man,” Eva explained.
She described her late husband as a Tuscan cowboy, a quiet man whom she encouraged to go out and enter the world of rock’n’roll, where he built a large fanbase for the brand.
Fausto’s motivation this season stemmed from his childhood experiences observing the grandeur of the straits of Messina, his hometown in Sicily.
“Dreaming big,” Fausto stated backstage, referring to his aim to create beauty and imagination outside of his ancestral land while incorporating its culture into his fashion.
Fausto’s Sicilian earthiness and sense of fantasy make him an ideal director for Cavalli, despite Roberto’s Tuscan roots. Both drew on rock culture, Roberto with his clubs and cowboy cool characteristics, and Fausto from working in New York and accomplishing his goals out west.
Puglisi debuted in white, ivory, and ecru, with embroidery covering trench coats, flaming cocktails, and slouchy slacks. Before he abruptly switched gears and captured sunset sea vistas in a series of photo prints of the sun setting into the Mediterranean. Dressed in froissè silk, thin jackets, and skirts.
Before plunging into the water like Poseidon, attendees were met inside La Borsa, Milan’s historic stock market, with crumpled costumes and sequined cocktails that evoked crashing waves.
All of these scenes remind Fausto of his childhood in Messina. By strange coincidence, the same day as the death of Toto Schillaci, the famous Italian soccer great and top scorer in the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
A specific day and show, which also contained a modern capsule collection of zebra print separates called ‘Zebra 2000’, consisting of long and short slip dresses, a shirt, a t-shirt, a bodysuit, and two fits of jeans in three colorways. Available for purchase immediately after the show.
The king has died; long live the king.
