Since he arrived at the creative direction of Roger Vivier in 2018, Gherardo Felloni has chosen a register of his own: glamorous and camp, full of references to cinema (personal passion shared with Monsieur Vivier) and declined in a humorous key, which certainly does not bad among the fashionistas who take themselves so damn seriously.
Felloni modulated a tone, his tone, creating a crackling context in which Vivier’s Frenchisms are marvelous. Of course, moderate use is recommended, because the more is more it is such that it immediately creates satiety, but fun is guaranteed.
The last chapter of this developing tale is the mini film Do We Show?, with which the maison today unveiled the fall / winter 2021 collection. Out of the calendar, because, says Felloni via Zoom, «not being able to present in a traditional way, we might as well do it when we are ready». It is flawless, even if the fragmentation we are witnessing weakens the system instead of strengthening it. But these are general questions. The film, written by Felloni himself and somewhat hyperbolic, tells the expectation of a fashion show that does not happen. The doubles of Joséphine Baker, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Edith Piaf, the only guests, get impatient, go up on stage, recite monologues, compete, but the show continues to be expected.
Loading…
The metaphor of the current condition of perennial and anxious suspension is easy to grasp. In Felloni’s hands, however, frustration becomes the occasion for a liberating laugh, albeit with a vein of melancholy. At one point, Marlene Dietrich says in fact “you know, it’s hard to act without an audience.” To this end, shoes and bags help: a great sparkle, to act even in the room, even in front of the mirror, imagining better days, in boots with stiletto heels and shoulder straps that serve as whips for this purpose. In short, the usual and feminine transgress, very subversive in the current climate, of pandemic and obscurantism.