Costume Nationale Spring Summer 2006

There was shift this season from the Italian house Costume National. Their love affair with the ‘70’s was put on ice and frozen away, and in its place designer Ennio Capasa looked back to On the Waterfront for his thunderbird rebellious spirit. But it was more the English lads of old the famed Teddy boys that captured his heart. The first passage was a long, tailored drape jacket over a waistcoat, collar, and tie and a pair of narrow, striped trousers. The look was Edwardian undertaker, with quaffed hair for rock cred. The next passage featured waistcoat, jeans, and a gossamer-fine jersey shirt with sleeves rolled up as high as they would go, more bovver boy than mortician. Still even though the collection notes gave reference to the ‘50’s, echoes of Brit-Punk styling’s of the early ‘80’s New Wave culture could be felt. In many cases we could believe Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor of Duran Duran would have looked smashing in these clothes.

Between them, these two outfits defined the collection, alternately dressy and tough but always with an eye on ’50s-style rebels: Teds, bikers, bad boys. So a slubbed gray-silk jacket over black shirt and pink tie could have stepped off the dance floor at a greaser’s prom. When Capasa used color, it was the synthetic shades of old school rock ‘n’ roll: electric blue, hot pink, chrome yellow. And the card print he showed—hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades—was also straight out of the ’50s. All this had a certain thematic correctness, but it was with some relief that we eventually zoomed forward a few decades to the pure elegance of a dove-gray nylon trench over white leather jeans, three words that should never be placed together however must-have-cool they look.